Castle Short Stories
by Lololova
Summary: A book with short stories about Castle and Beckett from the tv show Castle. The reason I have rated this story M is because I'm thinking of adding some short stories that are rated M in the future, so it's mostly to be safe. Prompts are taken from castlefanficprompts, fanficprompts (both tumblr) and sent in from you guys. Enjoy and feel free to review!
1. Chapter 1 - 4x13

He surprised her by quickly taking her hand in his, removing a bit of her sleeve to be able to smoothly rub his thumb across the back of her hand. She completely forgot to listen to what he was saying, completely forgetting what point he was trying to prove. The only thing she could think of was how tender her skin got from his rubs. She felt her heart wrench at how nice it felt. He couldn't stop looking at her, getting stuck in the surprised wide eyes she was looking back at her with. He had no idea why he'd done what he did, but the second his skin had touched hers he felt mesmerized and couldn't stop. In the first seconds he could see glimpses of fright in her eyes but the longer their hands touched it disappeared and got replaced with a gentle glimpse he hadn't seen in a long time. Suddenly she looked down, realizing what they were doing.

"Castle" she whispered, almost a gasp.

"Sorry" he immediately lets go off her hand, only to see a small glimpse of remorse.

She felt as if something warm and safe had just left her. She knew this wasn't what she had planned but before she could think she offered him a glass of wine, to keep him from going. He was shocked by the offer but said yes right away, not wanting to leave just yet anyway. Actually he never wanted to leave her.

"Here you go" she handed him the glass she's filled for him before taking her own.

They took a sip each before they looked at the dog he'd come to leave with her.

"Isn't he adorable?" Castle said to try and break the ice.

"Yeah, he really is" Beckett agreed.

She stood beside him and suddenly she felt the small touch of his hand before it escaped her back. She clutched to the wine glass looking down at the wine. She missed the feeling of his thumb on her hand.

"Castle, do... do you wanna watch a movie?" she asked and he hummed.

"Sure! Which movie do you have in mind?"

Without thinking she shrugged her shoulders, she didn't want him to leave. That's the only reason she suggests it, not because she had the urge to actually watch a movie. They decided to watch one the of the movies they found in her shelf. They sat in the couch and turned on the movie they'd chosen. They both looked at each other when the dog took a sudden deep breath, indicating he was falling asleep.

"Guess someone's exhausted" Castle whispers and she can't help but feel her lips move upwards. "Maybe I should leave, so you can go to sleep as well."

"No!" she exclaimed and he looked shocked.

Even the dog lifted his head to look back at them.

"I just, it would be a shame if you missed the movie" she tried to save herself but it was already too late.

"Kate, I've already seen the movie" his use of her first name made her heart thrive.

"I know" she gave up.

He noticed the disappointed glimpse reach her eyes and decided he could stay a while longer if that would make her happy. "I'll stay if you want me to?" he voiced his thoughts.

"Only if you want to" she mumbled quietly, embarrassed by how desperate she sounded.

She couldn't believe herself. But then again she just wanted his presence, his touch had made her weak. He nodded and relaxed back into the couch which made her relax too. To her surprise she was sleepier than she had thought though. After about twenty minutes she found herself leaning her head against his shoulder. She could feel his body stiffen at the sudden closeness but before she could excuse herself he put his arm gently, carefully around her shoulders. He noticed her falling asleep and a part of him couldn't help but feel satisfaction at the fact that she had fallen asleep in his arms. After the movie had ended he decided it was late enough so, trying his best not to wake her, he lifted her up in his arms and carried her to her bedroom. He noticed her hand gripping his collar on his shirt but figured it was just something she'd done in her sleep. He laid her down in her bed and tucked her in. He considered kissing her forehead good night but decided it would be too risky in case she woke up. As he was about to leave her side he felt something sneak into his hand.

"Please, stay" she mumbled and he felt confused.

"Ok, I'll sleep on the couch" he gave in, not sure if she's just sleep talking.

"No" she continued to mumble, her eyes opening.

He got afraid she'd woken to only hear his weird statement and was going to send him away, it broke his heart yet again but he prepared himself for the rejection.

"Sleep with me" she said and it made him freeze.

"What?"

"Just sleep, I don't... I don't want to be alone. I... I want you close to me" she told the truth.

She knew she was going to have a lot to explain in the morning, but she didn't care. She's tired of waiting to get better to feel him close. He is shocked but doesn't argue as her fingers tangle theirs before she pulls him closer. Before he knew what was really happening he's crawled down in her bed, arms around her with her head on his chest.

"I love you too" she lets go before he heard her deep breathing.

Does that mean she remembered? He suddenly didn't care, he'd have questions for her in the morning, but right now he would enjoy the fact that Kate Beckett, the love of his life, was asleep in his arms. He kissed the top of her head and joined her in the world of sleep.

 _THE END_


	2. Chapter 2 - Stay

Before he knew it he was sitting on the swing. Their swing. Katherine Beckett had once again broken his heart. She had chosen to risk her life before him. The rain ran down his cheeks and soon enough he couldn't separate the rain from the tears he could feel in his eyes. He had no idea why he had ended up there, he had left Alexis at her all-nighter and driven off with intention of getting home... not to the park. Their park. He couldn't see anything anything through his watery eyes but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything tonight. The only thing he might have been able to focus on was Alexis but he'd promised her he was fine and that he wouldn't worry about her too much, she would be fine during her graduation party. His thoughts kept going to _her_ , Kate. How could she do this? Her walls had been on their way down. He couldn't stop thinking about their conversation, their fight. Their _last_ fight. He'd never see her again. Even if she somehow survived she'd never want to see him again after what he did. He knew he should've told her from the start, but he also knew that this fight would've been inevitable. No matter what she'd still chose running towards the danger, towards her death. Suddenly he heard the chains beside him move and he looked there instantly only to find the one he's been thinking about sitting down beside him. On _her_ swing. She was looking down at her hands. He wasn't sure if she'd even noticed him the way her eyes didn't move up at the feeling of someone watching. Maybe she'd been deep in thought and hadn't seen one of the swings was occupied. He couldn't deal with this. He couldn't stand the thought of another round of the fight they'd had only a couple hours before. So, he stood up. But before he could even lift his foot to leave she opened her mouth.

"Please don't go."

He glared at her.

"Me? You don't want _me_ to go? Too late for that" he spat before he noticed the tears that were falling down her cheeks.

Or was it rain? She wasn't crying over him, right? There was no way she could be crying over him. She looked down and took a raspy breath.

"I was wrong."

He looked at her with wide eyes. Had he heard right?

"I... I'm sorry Castle. I... shouldn't have let you go" she quickly continues when she saw his hesitation, thinking she might not get another chance.

He stood still, didn't know whether to walk away or if he should stay and hear her out. He loved her, nothing could change that, but he didn't want nor need to get his heart broken again. He could only take as much. She could see the hurt in his eyes and hated herself for what she had done. She didn't deserve his forgiveness, yet she couldn't help but plead for it.

"I'm sorry Rick."

The use of his first name made him flinch, took him out of his trance.

"I can't do this" he said turning away to take a few steps away.

He heard the chains move again and suddenly she was in front of him. He stopped but didn't look at her. She didn't know what to do, what to say to make him understand that she chose wrong. She should've chosen him, not running into the danger.

"Beckett, what do you want?" he eventually said coldly, he'd had enough.

"You" she took a deep breath. "I just want you" she gave up.

She couldn't stand the dancing anymore. Couldn't stand hurting him and trying to tell him through subtext anymore. When she saw his shocked and confused face she launched forwards, grabbed his face and put her mouth over his. Her lips moved over his but he was too shocked, too surprised, to act. Just as sudden as her lips had been on his they were gone. She looked up at him. It was now up to him, if he wants to give her, them, another chance or if it was too late for them to happen.

"What happened?" he suddenly demanded to know.

He needed to know what had changed her mind. He needed to know if she really wanted this or if she was just after his help with something on the case.

"I almost died, and all I could think about was you. I just want you. I don't care about anything else."

Her eyes were looking straight into his, shining with the truth he was finally privileged to hear.

"I know I did wrong. And I still want justice for my mom but..." she paused, tried to find the right words, "I know she would never want me to pursue something that would kill me and destroy the only happiness I've found since she passed."

He was stunned at her words, never knew he meant this much to her.

"If you still love me... I'm all yours" she got quiet.

It was all up to him. And there was no way he was going to miss this opportunity to be with the woman he thought he lost. Without much warning he crushed his lips back at hers, pulling a moan from her throat.

"I'll always love you, Kate Beckett. Nothing can change that, believe me, I've tried to get over you so many times when I've figured I had no chance with you."

She felt both saddened and joyful at his words.

"Lets get the hell out of here before we catch a cold" he said after they had been quiet staring at each other for a while.

Kate had totally forgotten about the pouring rain soaking her hair and clothes.

"Sounds like a good idea" she agreed taking his hand in hers.

Carefully she intertwined their fingers and her eyes met a beautiful smile and eyes filled with love.

"Lets go home" she pulled him with her.

Together they walked the path towards his loft where they helped each other out of their soaking clothes. As soon as they were undressed they decided to go into a hot, steamy shower.

 _THE END_


	3. Chapter 3 - Stay Continuation

Rated M

She stood in his bathroom, shuddering, waiting for him to come back with some clothes. When Castle had asked what home she was referring to she had immediately answered his, so they had taken a cab. He had sent her into his bathroom while he decided to get them some clothes.

"Here, you can borrow my shirt and my sweatpants."

She jumped a bit at his sudden voice, and the cold, but turned to give him a big smile.

"You should get out of those clothes and jump into the shower," he sounded a bit awkward, as if he wasn't sure of what was going on.

He couldn't believe she was there, in his bathroom, and had declared her love for him only a couple moments earlier. Their eyes met for a second before he decided he didn't want to make her uncomfortable.

"I'll get out," he said but before he could turn away she grabbed his hand to stop him.

"Stay" she whispered stepping in closer to him.

He swallowed, one word from her and he was like enchanted. Her nose reached his jaw as she was so close to him now. Her mouth was soon on his and he opened his mouth in surprise. She pulled away, just a few inches, and took deep breaths. Then it all happened so fast yet so slow. His mouth crashed on hers and dragged out a moan from her once his tongue stroke past her lip catching hers. His hands landed on her hips pulling her body closer to his as hers landed around his neck. She could feel him get excited and she couldn't help but feel the arousal go up her body. She had wanted this for so long, felt the want for him for months. She couldn't stop the shudder that went down her body, and she hated her soaking clothes for making her so cold. He immediately understood what was causing her shudder since even her body was starting to feel cold from the wet clothes. He pulled away from her to be able to reach behind her into the shower to turn it on. She immediately missed his lips so she connected her lips to his neck to suck his pulse, which sped up at her touch.

"Kate."

He moaned her name, not being able to keep it inside. His hands carefully moved down to the hem of her shirt, making her shiver the second his hands touched her naked skin underneath.

"Join me in the shower."

She let her hands rumble down his cold shirt, unbuttoning it as fast as she could with her cold trembling fingers. He felt his pants tighten at her words, he couldn't count how many times he had waken to dreams about them in the shower. She could see his blue eyes turn darker by the lust she felt mirroring in her own. As soon as the shirt of his had slid off he pulled her shirt over her head to get rid off that too. She gasped when he surprised her by connecting his lips to her scar, sending a tingling so strong that she didn't know how she could've missed out on this feeling all this time. The once cold spot was heated up by his kisses. While he continued with kissing her scar he decided it was time to get rid of the rest of the clothes. He tumbled with his fingers down to her pants and started unbuttoning them. Once he had unbuttoned them his hand went inside only to hear her groan loader than he had ever dreamed of, it only turned him on more. His lips moved to hers before he pushed his body towards hers to push her into the shower, earning a surprised shriek from her once the water hit her skin.

"Castle!" she laughed as he dipped his head down to her neck, sucking her pulse.

She got rid of her pants and started working on his to take them off. Soon their pants laid in a wet pile on the floor outside the shower. She let her hands go down on him to start stroking his hardness and he gasped at the sudden connection. A satisfied feeling ran through her veins, knowing what she could do to him. The hot water ran down between their bodies, steaming up the room. Their tongues met once again and they both started feeling high on each other. Castle had never felt this high, not even at that party he'd gone to all those years ago in college. He had no idea one could get high on someone's taste. Kate wrapped her legs around his hips, couldn't wait to have him inside her any longer. Once he slid into her she felt as if she was finally home. As if they were two pieces of a broken heart finally put together again. He started slow, wanting to make this as good as he could make it. It was despite the rising heat, and the constant feeling of finally being one, their first time and he wanted it to last. She gasped when his lips latched onto her right breast, sucking and licking her nipple so gentle that she found herself becoming a moaning mess in his arms. He was hitting her in the right places as if he had been doing it his whole life, as if he had been with her a thousand times before. She let her fingers travel in his hair to be able to massage and show him just what he was doing to her. The water traveling down their bodies only added to the already hot room. Her walls started clenching around him and that's when he knew they were both close. He sped up his thrusts and moved his wonderful lips along with his tongue to her mouth, sticking his tongue inside of her. He made a swirl dancing with her tongue which brought her over the edge, bringing him with her. The high feeling lasted a lot longer than any of them had expected. They continued to kiss until they had both come down from the high, that's when they both pulled away to leave their foreheads leaned to each other as they tried to catch their breaths with closed eyes. Castle suddenly realized what they had just done and got a worrying lump in his throat that this was something Kate would regret. What if she had just been caught up in the moment? What if none of this meant to her what it meant to him? What if this was just something that she had done in the heat of the moment of almost getting killed? With the water still pouring down on them he decided to open his mouth, not sure what would happen.

"I'm-I'm sorry."

He felt her head turn a bit and when he opened his eyes he looked into a pair of confused green eyes. She looked up at him not understanding what he was apologizing for. They were still connected, still one, and she loved the feeling of still having him inside her.

"Sorry for what?"

She wasn't sure she wanted the answer to her question, but she needed to know if he regretted their moment. If he had decided to not forgive her after all. If all he had been was trying to keep her from getting a cold or doing something stupid like running back into the danger she'd been in. She felt her body tremble as she carefully let her legs unwrap from him. He didn't try to stop her, just pulled out of her afraid of what she was going to say. What if she yelled at him?

"I-eh-I" he paused, and she was amazed that despite the fact that he was a writer he always seemed to be unable to find the words when he was with her, "I shouldn't have just... I don't even know if you wanted... I-" but before he could continue she sneaked closer to him putting her arms determined around his neck.

"Don't be sorry, unless you didn't want... because then _I'm_ sorry for dragging you in here" her voice was not much louder than a whisper, almost drowning in the loud sound of the shower.

"No, no! This... this was definitely a dream come true."

She saw his eyes widen a bit at the words that had just escaped his mouth, and she felt surprise by how true those words sounded. Her cheeks turned bright red, that shade of red that only he could bring to her face. She bit her lips, digging her teeth into the soft, swollen skin. A quick glance around them and she thought about turning off the shower, because let's face it, she was definitely warm enough now with his body heat so close to her.

"Castle, you know what?" after seeing she got his attention she continued, "how about we get out of this shower?"

He swallowed but nodded. Not sure if she meant that as in she wanted to leave or if she just wanted out of the hot shower, the water now burning their skin. He turned off the shower behind her and gave her space to get out first, being the gentleman he always were with her. The gentleman he hadn't always been with the women he'd dated between his marriages. And truth be told she was the only one who had made him want to become a better man. Well, except for Alexis but that was just because she was his daughter and he wanted to be a good father to her. When they were both out of the shower Castle grabbed two towels, handing one to her. Once she had dried her body she started drying her hair, earning a surprised but shy glance from him.

"What?" she carefully asked.

He looked away, continued to dry his body and she wrapped the towel around her once she figured her hair was dried as much as it was possible to dry wet hair with a towel.

"I just thought... you'd cover yourself as soon as we stepped out of the shower" he gave in, wrapping the towel around his waist.

She couldn't help but smile at the way he seemed so insecure. She sneaked closer to him and right before she was only inches away from him she let go of the towel, letting it fall to the ground. She saw his eyes turn wide as he looked up at her, amazed by her naked body. She giggled at his stare, and bit her lip when the yet unfamiliar sound came out of her mouth. Of course she had giggled before, and most times it had been to his jokes, but she wasn't really used to it yet. His eyes went to her lips before they gazed into her green eyes, sending nothing but admiration. She reached for his hand and started to lead him out of the bathroom, into his bedroom. When they got to his bed she stood up on her toes to seal their lips in a slow kiss. He felt so happy he swear he would burst if she kept going. He couldn't really get a grip on how this night could've turned out the way it did. They had parted ways not _that_ many hours ago with the words that they were done, that he was done trying to get her to understand that he loved her. Now, they hadn't only shared a kiss but they had even shared a shower! And it was like he couldn't get enough of her, he wanted to taste her in every way possible, he wanted to feel connected to her again. She let go of a moan when he slipped his towel-clad thigh in between her legs to let her get some friction, which she immediately appreciated. He felt his member get hard again, it was amazing how easy her moaning could make him feel ready for her again. His hand left hers to travel to her lower back, pulling her body closer to his, making her groan from the friction it caused. He pushed her along with his body to lay them down on his big bed. Her hands wandered to his towel, trying to get rid of it but before she managed to take it off he stopped her with his hands. Their lips parted and she looked up at him with questioning, dark eyes. He just smiled big, pecked her lips one more time and let his lips go further down. He kissed her neck, sucked a few seconds on her pulse, kissed his way down to her breasts, giving each breast equal attention before he went further down and she couldn't help but gasp at the realization of where he was going. She had never really had a man going down on her the way he did before, so willingly, as if he himself where getting at least as much satisfaction from it as she would. He kissed her navel and he could feel her body shiver with excitement. He smirked at the thought of how his touch could make her feel, she was like a moaning mess under him and he couldn't have asked for a better first night. She shouted his name in a mix of a gasp and a moan when his lips touched her where she needed him the most. She was surprised at how intense it all felt. He was so gentle but it was still enough to drive her to absolute insanity. Without warning his tongue flicked her and she didn't know what to do anymore, she was moaning and groaning and gasping and she was just a mess under his touch.

"You don't only _smell_ like cherries," he stated with a satisfied moan leaving his lips, sending vibrations to her core.

If she hadn't been so hot and filled with lust she would've blushed, but the things he was doing to her put the blush on hold. Her fingers crumpled around the sheets at the intensity of the orgasm she couldn't hold in, and he saw it. He saw how she tried to hold it back and it somehow made him love her more. He started kissing his way up again, kissing her navel, her breasts, and eventually sealed their lips together again. She could taste herself on his tongue and it overwhelmed her how satisfied she felt with everything he had just done. She wanted to give back to him, but when she tried to slip her hands down on him he grabbed them and pinned them above her head, intertwining their fingers together. His lips moved from her lips to her ear, nibbling on it.

"Not tonight."

His whisper made her inside flip, his promise giving her a clear vision that they would do this again. And sometime soon. His lips came back on hers before she could give a reply of any kind. He was grinding his hips into hers and soon he let go of one of her hands to be able to remove his towel. With as much passion as possible he entered her again, he moved slow so they both could enjoy every second, every stroke, to the fullest. After all they weren't just fooling around, they were making love to each other.

 _THE END_


	4. Chapter 4 - 4x13 Continuation

He watched her. He watched her sleep. He had a feeling that if she knew she'd toss him out, calling him a creep. But he couldn't help it. She looked so _not-Beckett_ while she slept. She wasn't the hard, professional cop. Nor the _trying to hide I'm broken by showing my poker_ woman. She was Kate. Just Kate. The woman who he'd only seen glimpses of before at rare occasions. Sometime during the night she had pulled away and he had stirred awake and been so afraid she was waking up to kick him out. Only she put her head on the pillow beside him and moved her hand to his chest, not waking up. To his amusement it meant he could see her beautiful face instead for the hair he'd seen when her head was on his chest. At one point her hair fell down in front of her face and he couldn't stop himself from carefully putting it back, just after getting anxious that he might wake her if he continued pulling stunts like that. Without any warning one of her eyes popped open and he widened his in surprise, just as sudden as she had popped it opened it closed again.

"You're still here," she mumbled snuggling her head into her pillow.

"Uh, yeah, I should leave though," he immediately started shuffling around, was about to rise when she had her eyes wide open and shook her head while rising onto her elbow.

"I didn't mean it like that," she said with a small panic in her tone.

He stilled with eyes set on her. Their eyes met, looking deeply into the other.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't keep you here if you don't want to be here," she apologized, looking away.

"No, no it's not that I don't want to be here," he quickly interrupted. "I just wasn't sure if you remember last night..." he let his voice die out, not knowing if he should risk telling this or just shut up.

"I do," she said low, almost too low for him to hear.

He looked at her with curious eyes. Did she remember she told him she loved him? Or was that sleep-talking?

"Kate..."

And the tone of his voice was how she knew the questioning was about to begin, so she tried to mentally prepare as much as she could.

"What-uhm, what happened... last night? Why did you insist on me staying?" he decided not to mention her confession.

Hell he didn't even know if it was a real confession or if it was just something casual that slipped her mouth, like perhaps it was just a 'I love you as a friend'-kinda thing. She felt her heart skip a beat as she took a deep breath and looked away from him, tried to focus on something that wasn't him to be able to get out her answers without choking.

"I'm..." she blew out some of the air in her tensed lungs, trying to calm down, still avoiding looking at him, "I needed you because... I-I remember," she stuttered out.

She got a frightened feeling, she felt frightened of what he would say, she suddenly realized that, depending on what it would be, his response could break her heart. When her eyes widened as she realized that she quickly drove her face down into her pillow in hope to hide my fear. What she didn't know was that he had seen it. And he was not sure of what to say. He found it kind of adorable how she seemed so shy about it. Or perhaps she was afraid. She _had_ looked frightened.

"And... you feel... how do you feel about... that?" he asked, still confused as to what everything meant.

She refused a groan that threatened to come up her throat. Why would he be so clueless when he really was one of the smartest people she knew? She was sure she wouldn't be able to get another word out. She felt him turn a bit, probably getting as uncomfortable with her silence as she was. But she didn't know what to say! Why didn't she just let him walk out? Why would his touch hypnotize her the way it did? Touch. Suddenly she knew how to show him, she could show him without needing to utter any words. She raised her head and carefully looked at him beside her. She crept closer and just as she got into his personal space he spoke.

"Ka-ate, wha...?" he stuttered but she shut him up by putting her lips over his, closing her eyes the second their lips touched.

She kissed him carefully, pulling away before he could catch up and respond because she was too afraid for him pushing her away instead of kissing her back, she needed to protect her heart as much as she could. She had risked it all already, she knew that, but she also knew that being rejected in the middle of her taking action would without a doubt kill her. At least she could have some small dignity left if she was the one pulling away and not him _pushing_ her away, that was what she was telling herself. When she opened her eyes to observe him, only to find his eyes closed and lips parted while he panted quietly. His head was spinning. Around and around his thoughts ran. Once he had caught up with what just happened he opened his eyes only to see her hide under the cover, only her hair sticking up on her pillow. She was so different, so scared. He hadn't seen her this vulnerable before, she who'd always been so strong. She really wasn't one to hide, and it scared him to see her like this. But even though it scared him he also felt kind of honored that she trusted him enough to let him see this side of her. And she just kissed him, _kissed him_. He carefully moved his hand up to the cover in order to gently peel it off from her head, she looked up at him with a small fright glimpsing in those green beautiful eyes. He moved closer, cupped her face with his hand and carefully but determined put his lips on hers. She felt butterflies flutter up in her stomach, static flowing through her lips down into her veins. He felt her kissing him back with a passion he was not expecting. It almost felt like she was afraid he would disappear, as if this would be the first and last kiss they ever shared. Even though technically it wasn't their first. Soon enough they pulled away for air, both panting, their breaths mixing as the were still positioned with foreheads touching.

"Wow," she let out on a breath.

"Yeah," he agreed and let his hands move from her cheek.

She caught his hand before it could escape too far and put it on her hip, her eyes looked up at him through her lashes.

"I'm sorry I lied, I'm broken, and I wasn't sure you meant it, wasn't sure if it was just something you said in the moment, but then you brought me flowers, but I was still with Josh then and everything just went so wrong, so I lied, I tried to hide," she rambled on and before she knew it he smashed his lips on hers again, to shut _her_ up this time.

Her body instantly moved closer to his, it was like they were magnets, and since their lips had already the line there was nothing holding back their bodies from following the same path. His hands moved to her back to be able to pull her closer as their lips moved together like long-lost lovers. Which they technically could be. He pulled away gently, pecking her lips a few times to assure her he didn't want to pull away.

"Does this mean you're ready? You're willing to give _us_ a chance?" he carefully asked, it felt like a necessary question.

He needed to know she was in, that this wasn't just something 'in the moment' like she had feared his 'I love you' was.

"I'm ready, I want you, I'm in," she said, before adding with a whisper, "that is if you still want me."

"I'll always love you Kate, I have for the past four years and I know it'll never change, not when it comes to you," he said truthfully.

His lips pulled up in a sincere smile, he couldn't believe she had practically just said she loved him. He had a feeling he wouldn't actually hear her say those exact words any time soon but the way her eyes looked at him and the way she told him she wanted him was damn close enough. Which was enough for him. He could see her cheeks turn a slight pink shade as her lips pulled up in a similar smile.

"So, what do you wanna do today?" he asked and she bit her lip.

"As much as I'd love to stay in bed and cuddle with you we still have a case to solve," she sounded disappointed and he couldn't help but chuckle.

"How about we go solve the murder and then tonight, I'll make you dinner?" he suggested and her smile turned into a big grin.

"Sounds good to me," she leaned forward and kissed his lips again.

She felt like she would never get tired of he feeling of his lips on hers. It was like she was already addicted to them. She'd had a feeling this would happen if she ever laid her lips on his again after that undercover kiss, but she never could've imagined she would feel this high after a real kiss, a kiss that wasn't 'fake'.

"But, let's keep this to ourselves, no involving Espo or Ryan, otherwise they will never shut up and that dinner won't happen tonight," she rolled her eyes and he nodded in agreement.

"Absolutely," he crashed his lips onto hers again.

She opened her mouth to invite his tongue, which immediately found hers. His taste filled her mouth and she couldn't for the life of her understand why she hadn't confessed before.


	5. Chapter 5 - Power cut

_Prompt: Person A and B are at home together and there is a power cut._

∞–∞–∞–∞–∞

There was a knock at the door and she sighed, put her hair up in a bun and set her steps to her door. _Who the hell knocks at 10pm?_ She peeked through the peephole. _Of course_ , she couldn't help but smile. However she quickly took control and hid it before she opened the door.

"Castle, do you know what time it is?" she asked, acting annoyed.

"Uhm," his voice trailed off and he held up a bottle of wine, "wine-time?"

She couldn't stop the smile from growing, no matter how hard she tried.

"Fine, come on in," she moved to let him in.

He walked in with a genuine growing smile set on his lips. As she had closed the door he had already gone to the kitchen to take out wine glasses for them. She shook her head at the fact that he felt so at home that he just immediately barged in to fix them the wine at her place without even asking if it was okay. Of course that was one of the things she liked about him though, that he felt so at home. Just like she did at his. Something she would absolutely _never_ admit.

"So, what brings you here?" she questioned the second she was close enough to put her elbows on the counter.

"Nothing," he tried to sound unmoved but she gave him a look, _her_ look. "Mother and Alexis is out of town, felt lonely," he admitted then with an embarrassed glimpse in his eyes.

"Oh, well, as long as you don't feel lonely," she mocked and he fake-laughed.

"Ha-ha, if you insist I can leave," he said and she decided to mock him more.

"Sure, go ahead, I didn't call you over."

His eyes widened small before he could control his expression, but she did manage to see the small hurt feeling that stung him from her words. He had just poured the two glasses with wine and sat down the bottle with carefulness.

"I'll just go," he mumbled and started to walk around the counter towards the door.

She got shocked by his immediate retreat and stood up quick to grab his arm with a nervous chuckle.

"Castle, I was _kidding_ , you know that, right?"

He just looked at her with those blue eyes, those same blue eyes she'd constantly drowned in for three years.

"Yeah, of course! I was just playing along," he retorted with a fake-smile.

"Of course you were," she tagged along and tugged his arm to pull him back to their wine glasses.

She took up one of the glasses to hand it to him and once he'd taken it she held up the second one in cheers. They clinked their glasses at the exact same moment as everything suddenly went black, he let go of a small surprised shout.

"Did you turn off the lights?" Castle asked with a high-pitched voice and cleared his throat.

"Yeah, because I was right next to the light-switch when _all_ power went out..." Kate gave him a look but realized pretty quick he couldn't see it due to the darkness.

She took a sip from her wine glass before she set it down on the counter. Just as she was about to go past him, to get to the window to check the rest of the city, he stopped her by grabbing her arm.

"Where are you going?" he asked, words coming out quicker than usual.

She got a feeling something was not quite right. The way he spoke got her worried and there was a lump growing in her belly.

"Castle, what's wrong?" she questioned, to her small irritation the worry she felt was mirrored in her voice.

"I-uhm, I'm not exactly a-uh... friend of the... dark."

He felt embarrassed having to confess this to her. He didn't want her to know this, she was probably just going to mock him about it. She'd run off and tell the boys so they could all mock him together.

"I've watched you walk into dark places Castle, this is no different, there's nothing to be afraid of," she was caught off guard by his answer.

There was no way he could be afraid of the dark. They had walked into dark buildings in order to find evidence and even with hiding cold blooded killers and she had never seen him hesitate, not even once. Why would a power cut be any different?

"That _is_ different," he mumbled, still waiting for the mocking.

"How?" she half-demanded.

He thought for a moment, trying to figure out how he could try to get her to understand, but the truth was... he wasn't sure he knew either.

"I'm never alone when we walk into dark buildings, and you always have your gun," he tried reason with her, or perhaps he was more trying to convince himself.

He wasn't sure why he was scared of the darkness caused by something he had no control of. He had always been afraid of power cuts, and his mother could confirm it. His thoughts were interrupted as he heard her sigh.

"Fine," was all she said before he felt her arm slip out of his grasp only to be replaced by her fingers interlocking with his.

She drew him with her as she walked to the window. Once they stood there they could both see it wasn't just something broken in her apartment, but half of the city was out. She couldn't help but wonder what had caused it all, there was no storm outside, at least nothing she could see nor hear.

"It'll probably be up and running in no time," she said and she heard his breath try calm down. "Come on, let's lit up some candles and drink our wine," she tugged at his hand to make him follow her to one of her drawers.

She placed his hand on her hip, not really thinking much about it other than that it would keep him calm if he would still be able to feel her as she let go of his hand, and opened a drawer to pull out a few candles. She heard him holding his breath and she glanced at him, giving up not being able to see his face. She quickly found the matches and lit the candles that stood on top of the drawer. After she had lit a few of them she took a look at the man still holding his hand on her hip.

"How are you doing?" she asked not hiding her worried look from him.

"Better, at least I got you by my side this time, not sure what I'd done if I hadn't come over here," he answered honestly.

She gave him a gentle smile, took his hand with her left and one of the big candles with her right to lead them back to the kitchen counter. As they got there she managed to light up more candles, left him at the counter and walked around her apartment always in sight of his eyes. With all the candles now lighting up the whole kitchen/living room area she returned to Castle and raised her glass once more.

"Cheers," she said and they clinked glasses before they took a sip each.

She noticed he took a bigger sip than she had expected and wondered how much the darkness actually affected him.

"How are you holding up?"

He met her eyes carefully. She could see he tried his best to hide the panicking glimpse he had in his eyes.

"Fine," he said and she bit her lip.

"Castle, I can see you're not fine. Come on, you can talk to me," she insisted.

He shook his head and smiled small. He didn't want to tell her why he was afraid of power cuts, it was ridiculous really. It was something that happened when he was a child and it felt absurd that it still haunted him each time the city went dark.

"Don't worry about it Beckett, it's nothing... really."

The light from the candles made her look angelic. He couldn't take his eyes off her. She was breathtaking, of course she always was. But he hadn't seen her in this kind of lighting. And the way she looked at him had him in awe, she looked so worried about him. He never thought she would get so worried, honestly thought she would laugh at him for being so childish.

"How can I make it go away?" she asked, feeling helpless.

She _hated_ feeling helpless. She wanted to help, especially him. She could swear she would do anything to make him feel better, even if she would deny it if someone ever pointed it out. Just like she would deny every time someone indicated she liked him.

"It's not possible," he said truthfully.

There was nothing that could help the anxiety he felt, he had tried.

"There must be something," she kept on asking.

He shook his head, took his glass with him as he walked to her couch and he felt her following him. They sat down and she asked him again, told her he could ask her for anything. Anything at all, and since she wouldn't let it go he said the one thing he thought would shut her up.

"Kiss me."

She went silent, eyes widening. His eyes observed her. He knew she wouldn't do it, that's why he suggested it. There was no way she would ever kiss him. She didn't feel that way about him, of course he had hopes that she would one day, but he knew she didn't. He hadn't said the words in a serious matter, but she could see in his eyes that he, deep down, meant it. She took a small sip on her wine and he got a feeling she was going to rise and walk away from him. But instead she sat down the glass on the table before she turned to him and, in quick moves as to not give him time to react, she leaned forward. Her lips touched his in a gentle yet powerful kiss. He felt shock take over his body as her lips sent shivers down his spine. She could feel his body tense, so she pulled away again, putting space between their bodies to be able to look at him. His eyes were wide, his mouth pouting as if she had taken his lips with her. She couldn't help but find the scenario in front of her adorable. He was adorable. But after a couple of minutes had passed and he still hadn't moved she started to get worried, perhaps he hadn't meant it? What if he hadn't meant it? _Oh god, I'm so screwed_. She bit her lip, looking down in embarrassment. She then felt the couch shift but she didn't dare look up. Suddenly she felt his hand cup her cheek to turn up her head and his lips where on hers again. The passion he put in the kiss made her insides flip. She moved her lips with his, kissing him back with no hesitation. His hand slowly moved into her hair, pulling her closer to him. Desire built up inside of them. She never knew she could feel such craving for one person, and for once he didn't give her butterflies... instead it felt like the whole damn zoo was living inside her abdomen. Slowly she slid down onto her back, pulling him with her to stay on top of her. She never could've imagined it would feel like this kissing him. Never could've imagined it would feel so right. If she'd known she would've stopped him when he went to the Hamptons with Gina, she would've told him how she felt immediately. She would've never gone out with Demming. She had never felt the way she did right there, having his body pressing hers down into her soft couch. As she pulled away for breath she first felt him tense a bit, before he moved his lips to her neck instead. He placed open-mouthed kisses on her pulse, sucking and nipping her neck to leave hickeys he knew she'd kill him for. But he didn't care, he wanted to give her as much satisfaction as possible. He wanted to mark her, mark her in a way that she would still be remembering this a few days from this night. There was no way she would be able to escape this now, even if they would end up not going all the way he would make sure she wouldn't forget this. She surprised them both with a moan she couldn't stop from escaping her lips. He pulled away from her neck to look down at her, and he could see her cheeks turn red with the blush. Their eyes met for a few seconds, both pair of eyes dilated with lust, before he attacked her lips once again. She couldn't help but suck his lower lip into her mouth and bite it softly before running her tongue on it to sooth the pain he might have felt. He took the opportunity she had given him to let his own tongue tangle with hers, both immediately wrestling for dominance. Once he finally won, or more likely she had given up to let him have it, his hands traveled to the hem of her shirt. He hesitated then, not sure how far she wanted it to go. Knowing her he had never thought it would've gone as far as it already had. She immediately felt his hesitation and let her own hands travel to his, she grabbed the hem with his hands and pulled them up. Their lips parted for the few seconds it took for them to pull her shirt over her head but were drawn to each other as soon as it was out of the way. He felt the need to look at her, but at the same time there was no way he wanted to leave her tasteful lips. Good for him it didn't take too long before they both had to pull away to catch their breaths. As they both panted he couldn't stop his eyes from examine her half-naked upper body. She had chosen a black lace bra and he was certainly not disappointed. He had a feeling her body would look great in anything, and nothing for that matter. It tingled her body as his fingers trailed around her naked skin. She was about to say something but before she could vocal her words his lips where on her breasts.

"Ca-astle," she gasped at the feeling.

Her fingers immediately tangled into his hair, trying to hold him exactly where he was. She moaned loudly when his teeth graced her skin followed by his tongue soothing the same spot. His lips kissed their way up to her neck, her jaw and they finally reached their destination at her lips. She decided he had way too many clothes on, actually they both did. He was amazed by how quick and easy she undressed them and before he knew it they were both panting on the couch, naked, still connected to each other. He couldn't help but peck her lips, over and over. His lips continued their assault as he pulled out of her to be able to flip them so they were laying beside each other, far away from him crushing her with his body. To his surprise she pushed her body as close to him as she possibly could. _So, she's a cuddler, go figure_. He would never had figured her for one. But he did certainly not complain, only let his arm hold her close as his hand kept stroking her spine up and down gently, barely touching. They both flinched when the lights suddenly flickered on in the apartment.

"Guess the power's back," he stated in a whisper, not really wanting to destroy the silence, and she couldn't help but chuckle.

"It wasn't that bad now, was it?" she teased, kissing his chest.

"Best power cut ever," he agreed, lips in her hair.

As if it was possible she tried to move closer to him, she didn't know why but she had a lump of fear in her belly. Afraid he would soon push her away and be done with her. As if he would just leave and never ever come back because now he'd gotten what he came for in the first place. Like this was all it was to it, he'd gotten her guards down and gotten her naked and that's that. Deep down she knew this wasn't true, but she still couldn't shake that fear. Couldn't quite forget the guy who lived his life on page six.

"You know, it happened when I was a kid," his sudden sentence had her confused and she looked up at him from her place at his chest. "The reason I'm afraid of power cuts," he declared and she 'oh'ed.

They looked into each other's eyes and she could see he was unsure of whether to tell her or not. He could see the curious glimpse she always got in her eyes when he told her something sincere about himself.

"I was home alone, as I sadly often was due to my mother's acting," he continued and she bit her lip.

"You really don't need to tell me if you don't want to," she whispered, she didn't want him to feel like he owed her anything.

There were plenty of stories of her own childhood she wasn't so sure she'd ever want to share with anyone. Though, now that she thought about it, _if_ she was ever to share it with anyone it would be him.

"It was late at night and as a boy I was already a bit afraid of the dark, now remember I was a small boy and to a small boy even the slightest of things seems much bigger and more dangerous than it is," he continued, ignoring her comment. "I had of course turned on every single lamp I could find in our small apartment, and prayed for my mother to be home soon. Without any warning at all, the lights go out. And me being, what? Like, five, six or seven, it scared the hell out of me, I had no idea why the lamps wouldn't turn on as I continued to flick on the buttons, everywhere."

She wanted to say something, something reassuring, but she didn't want to interrupt him either. It looked like he was so into the memory he was letting her know about that she didn't want to ruin it all.

"And as if that wasn't bad enough we lived in a bad neighborhood at that point. Somewhere one of the apartments not far from ours got robbed, and there was a shooting somewhere else," his eyes focused on hers again, "or perhaps it was firecrackers but I didn't know then and I still don't know, only that it was loud and it wasn't the first time those types of things were associated with the dark."

He shrugged his shoulders, as if it was no big deal even though his eyes told her it _was._ _A. Big. Deal._

"Oh, god Castle, I really can't imagine that panic you must've felt," she let her fingers trail soothingly against his chest. "But don't you worry about future power cuts, I'll protect you. I sleep with a gun, remember?"

She couldn't help but try to cheer him up, and to her delight the corners of his lips turned upwards.

"How could I ever forget?" he questioned in a teasing tone.

She grinned, pulling up on her elbow to be able to softly kiss his lips. Their kiss was so soft but so filled with love that she felt her insides melt. As she pulled away she couldn't help but pray he felt the same for her as she did for him, because if not this would be the death of her.

∞–∞–∞–∞–∞

 _The End_


	6. Chapter 6 - I accept

_Prompt: What if Castle didn't leave with his ex-wife in 2x23 and Beckett told him what she wanted and they became a couple in season 3?_

Beckett walked into the room, went directly to the bottles and grabbed a beer.

"Oh! Look who's off duty," Castle mocked, a bit surprised by her actions though.

To be honest he had thought she had already left with Demming.

"Yeah, well, Castle, I'm not all work," she teased and the room chuckled.

"Don't get into a drinking contest with her. She can take you," Lanie warned with a meaningful gaze.

"Thank you," he had a feeling he should take her warning serious.

Still he couldn't help but wonder what it'd be like to have a drinking contest with just him and her.

"Oh, I don't need to drink to take him," she challenged with a smirk which had him stop in his movements and the rest in the room chuckled.

"Ooh! What's gotten into you?" Lanie questioned in a shocked but impressed tone.

Beckett ignored her best friend, already knowing exactly what questions she would have to answer the next time she got her alone, and walked right up to stand beside Castle.

"Castle, do you have a second?" she asked with a sincere voice, feeling the shyness fill her body.

 _How could he make me feel this nervous?_

"Of course. Yeah," he immediately stood up and followed her outside the room.

He noticed she closed the door after them and wondered what she could possibly have on her mind that she didn't want to bring up in front of everyone else.

"What's up?"

She took a deep breath, couldn't help but fiddle on the bottle because of the nervousness in filling inside her body.

"Look," she started and decides to just let go," I know that I'm not the easiest person to get to know, and I don't always let on what's on my mind." She took another breath, "but this past year, working with you, I've had a really good time."

Her eyes told him she wanted to say more, but he could see she was hesitating.

"Yeah. Me, too," he said, as in to help her to resume talking.

"So, I'm just gonna say this and I'd really appreciated it if you don't laugh."

She looked up at him, avoiding his eyes and finding herself stuck at his lips. He nodded, adding a "promise" and her eyes snapped to his eyes.

"I-uh, I'm not going to the beach house with Demming. Actually," she found herself taking yet another breath, "we broke up."

His eyes widened. She felt the need to look away, she felt so vulnerable and she didn't like it one bit, yet her eyes were stuck in his, reading him.

"Why?" he felt obligated to ask, even though he was pretty sure he could read it in her eyes.

"Like I said, I've had a really good time with you and I just... I don't want it to end, so... ask me again," she said with a low, careful voice.

He looked at her, now really confused. What did she want him to ask her about? She could see he wasn't following her. How could he be so smart yet so clueless at the same time?

"So I'm not going away for the weekend anymore and I don't need to work, ask me again," she said, trying to make him understand without needing to say it herself.

Something clicked and a bright smile could be spotted in his eyes, not wanting to reveal it yet he had to focus on his lips to prevent them from turn up wide. He looked into her green eyes and saw them sparkle with excitement.

"Do you want to come with me to the Hamptons for the weekend?" he asked and she showed her teeth in the big smile she couldn't hold back.

"Yes, I accept," she said happily.

She felt eyes on her, and even though she knew _he_ was watching her she could feel it wasn't just his pair of eyes prying to know what they were talking about. When she looked towards the room their coworkers still sat in she could see they were immediately trying to make it look like they'd been chatting the whole time, but it was obvious they just turned from watching her and the writer they all adored.

"Lets keep this between you and me, if that's alright with you? They'll just bomb us with questions otherwise," she suggested carefully, not sure if he were willing to go along with the secrecy.

His eyes followed hers and he understood exactly what she was saying. Plus he was not at all interested getting held back by the people in that room if it meant he would be able to go away earlier with the extraordinary woman in front of him.

"Of course! No problemo, as far as they're concerned I'm going to Hamptons alone and you're going away with Demming," he said with question embedded in his voice.

"Yes, that sounds good," she smiled and held out her hand for him to take.

He looked a bit confused but covered her hand with his.

"Tell them I couldn't stay longer, that I needed to go to catch up with Demming, when do we leave?" she asked, shaking his hand.

"Does 7 sound good? Is that enough time for you to pack?" he asked and she nodded.

"Definitely, see you tonight," she felt happier than ever before right that second.

Their hands parted and she set off towards the elevator while he returned to the party in the room. They all looked at him with questions written in the faces.

"What was that about? Where is she going? What she say? Come on, answer now writer-boy," Lanie was the first to voice her questions.

He couldn't help but chuckle at her questions, praying he wouldn't screw this up and reveal them before they even had a chance.

"She had to go, she just wanted to say a proper goodbye before running off to Demming and their weekend getaway," Castle answered, sounding a bit moody just to be able to try and make it believable.

"She left?!" Esposito almost choked on the beer he was drinking, earning a few dunks on his back from his partner as he coughed.

"Yeah... which is my cue to leave as well, I'm gonna miss you guys," Castle said with a sad face.

"What? No, don't leave already," Ryan complained. "You can still hang out with us, you're one of us."

"Yeah bro, come on, stay, have another beer," Esposito pitched in, and they could all hear the sentimentality in his voice.

"Nah, I need to get to the Hamptons, it's been a long day," Castle answered, grateful for the guys' encouragement.

The guys looked down for a second before they looked up at their friend. Lanie stood up and Castle was surprised when she put her arms around him, giving him a friendly hug.

"Don't hesitate to call us every now and then, especially Kate, I know she wouldn't admit to it but she'd appreciate it," the last she only whispered in his ear, to make sure the other men in the room wouldn't hear.

He was surprised by her statement and he knew she could see his surprise when she pulled away. Before he knew it he had hugged every single one of them in the room, including captain Montgomery who told him he was welcome back whenever he wanted back again.

"Bye guys, see you," Castle said when he left the bullpen.

The second he was in the elevator he found himself not wanting to wait till seven to go to Beckett's apartment. He couldn't believe what she had said earlier was true, had he imagined it all? Had she really broken up with Demming and accepted his offer? Or was it him daydreaming when she actually just told him a simple goodbye after a long partnership? He decided to try not to think more about it. Either she would open the door when he got to her place at seven or she would already be long gone with Demming, he'd just have to wait and see. He easily hailed a cab and went home, Alexis and Martha had already left when he got there and he was actually kind of relieved. He knew that if one of them had been home he would've told them about the conversation he'd had with Beckett and he wasn't sure if she would approve of that yet, or even if it was real. Walking around the loft he tried to make sure he had everything he needed. Of course he already had the essentials at his vacation house, such as clothes, toothbrushes, etc. but he still needed to pack his laptop, his chargers, his notes and everything else that could help him write the book. Even though he had a feeling he wouldn't get much writing done now that Beckett was coming with him he'd still be at the house after she had to return to work on Monday.

At the same time in a smaller apartment Beckett was running around her place cursing for accepting his offer. Now that she had some time alone she couldn't help but wonder what had gotten into her when she said those things. She had meant every word, yes, but now she was freaking out because she wasn't sure of what clothes to pack or if she should pack a bikini or a swimsuit, should she grab a robe or did he have robes he lent out to guests? What if he would take things further and ask her on a date, what clothes should she grab then? Should it be fancy or simple? Dress or no dress? This was going to be a hell of a weekend. She went through her closet, spreading out almost every clothe she owned on her bed in order to pack down the ones she knew she wanted. After a couple of hours of only packing, unpacking and then packing again she finally decided to try her best and bring two things to each option. She brought both a bikini _and_ a swimsuit, both a fancy _and_ a simple dress, both skirts _and_ jeans. Before she knew it there was a knock at the door and when she checked the clock on her wrist she could tell he was right on time. When she opened the door she could see his eyes widen in shock.

"Hi," he said with surprise evident in his voice.

"Hi, come on in, I'm almost done," she said, trying hard not to let the shyness show through her tone.

He walked in and she closed the door behind him, she told him he could wait there if he wanted or he could sit on the couch or whatever. Told him to feel like home without too much thought about it. He watched her walk in the direction of her bedroom and he couldn't help but take a deep breath, smelling her new-showered scent. He waited for a minute in her living room before he took up on her offer to feel like home and decided to follow her into her bedroom, just to make sure she didn't need his help. She had just closed her bag when a cleared throat had her spin around in immediate response, cop senses.

"God, don't scare me like that, I sleep with a gun you know," she warned him and he chuckled.

"I'm pretty sure all those clothes disagree with you," he commented pointing to all the clothes that didn't make her take-along cut, still laying on her bed on full display.

"Shut up," she mumbled then and he chuckled louder.

He settled down quickly after seeing her giving him a look.

"You wanna put away the clothes now or go for the Hamptons right away?" he asked with a small and nervous smile.

She tried to stop the smile forming by biting her lip, she looked down and then up to meet his asking gaze.

"Just give me a few minutes and I'll be ready," she said and he nodded as she started to grab the clothes on her bed. "While you're here, is there anything specific that I should be taking with me?" she asked, feeling his eyes constantly following her every move.

"Uhm, something to bathe in would be good, unless you wanna skinny dip of course," he added the last part in a half teasing half sarcastic tone.

"Well, you can't handle me skinny dipping, so bathing suit already packed," she teased back with a wink.

It only took her five minutes to throw the clothes into her closet, she felt like she had way too many of her clothes packed down. What if she brought too many clothes? And more embarrassing, what if he mocked her for taking so many clothes?

"You could bring a book if you're reading one at the moment, I don't exactly have anything planned out but if all else fails reading a book while laying on a blanket in the grass is always relaxing," he suggested as she was about to take her bag.

She looked at him and couldn't help the smile that formed again, what was up with all the smiling lately? It was like she couldn't stop!

"I've actually finished the book I was reading, but I'm always open to the idea of reading a certain book I've heard you're working on right now."

She could see him gulp and she chuckled. She grabbed the bag and managed to only carry it to the door before he took it from her, indicating he should carry it for her. She tried to argue but realized soon enough there was no point, especially since he just continued walking away from her as she tried to talk some sense into him. She silently let go of a deep breath before she took her phone and her keys. She locked the door and followed him down to his car. He opened the door for her before putting her luggage in the trunk. _Always the gentleman nowadays._ She was impressed by his change, when they had met he was just a rich playboy, a nine year old on a sugar rush as she had described him to her captain, but now he was different somehow. If it was him just simply growing up, the cases they worked or her that made it possible, she had no idea. They didn't say much for the whole car ride, it sure was a long ride but both of them had other things on their minds. He was still thinking about her small speech at the precinct, wondering what it meant and what laid ahead for them this weekend. She was trying to not freak out at the fact that she was actually on her way to the Hamptons. With _him._ She had put her head aside and followed her heart only a couple hours earlier, dumped her boyfriend, _ex-boyfriend_ now, and followed the man who seemed to have slowly stolen pieces of her heart since the first time they met. When he had driven about half the way to his Hamptons getaway house he glanced a look at his partner only to find her with her head leaned into the window, taking deep breaths, fast asleep. He couldn't help but steal a few glances every now and then, trying to print the view into his mind. An idea hit him out of the blue, an idea on how he would be able to _really_ keep the view forever. He looked behind in the rearview mirror and since there were no cars neither behind them nor in front of them he carefully slowed down and pulled over as gently as he could, not wanting to wake her up. The second the car stopped he took up his phone, turned off his sound and snapped a few perfect pictures of the woman he had fallen for. When he was sure he'd gotten at least five amazing shots of her sleeping soul he put down the phone again to be able to continue their car ride. He could've never had imagined she would be one of those who fell asleep during long rides, ever. Would've never figured her for one to let her guard down like that. He didn't wake her, decided to let her sleep for as long as she could, she'd had much going on earlier and there was no way he was going to disturb her rest. He didn't really want to wake her even when he had stopped the car in front of his house. With the engine turned off he could hear her breathing and couldn't stand the thought of disrupting it. He was enchanted by her looks in the moonlight that had snuck onto the sky not that long ago.

"Staring is creepy Castle," her mumbling and hoarse voice snapped him out of his trance.

"I wasn't staring," he stuttered and looked away.

He started to open his car door and felt her glance at him.

"Mhmm, sure," her voice sleepy with a hint of sarcasm.

He jumped out the car and chuckled nervously for himself when he'd closed the door. He steered his steps around the car and carefully opened the door for her, she was yawning and covered it with her mouth as she jumped out. She thanked him and looked at the house.

"Wow," her voice was pure surprise, she turned to him after a couple of seconds of ogling, "you rich or something?" she teased with a genuine smile.

He smirked before he answered, "well I'm not James Patterson-rich but I do okay." She couldn't help but chuckle at that, and he felt warmth spread in his body knowing he was the one who caused the glimpse of happiness he hadn't seen in her face before. He went to get her and his bags from the trunk before he stood beside her looking at the house along with her.

"You wanna go inside? Or do you prefer stand out here in the moon?" he asked carefully, not wanting to disturb her thoughts but knew they couldn't stay out there all night.

Her trance got broken and she looked at the writer beside her. Her writer. He felt her eyes on him and turned his head towards her. She carefully took her bag from his hands to replace it with her own, she felt her heart skip a beat at the feeling of their skin touching. She saw his eyes glimpse with something that could only be described as mixed surprise and excitement. They walked into the house, hand in hand, and after a quick round-tour of the downstairs he led her to the room that was supposed to be hers for the weekend.

"Is this the _guest room_?" she questioned when they stood in the big bed room.

"Yeah, why?" he asked back confused, not sure of why she seemed so upset.

Perhaps upset wasn't the right words but she did seem a bit shaken by surprise.

"It's... it's just so _huge_ ," she looked around in the room, "you're not giving me your own room right?"

"What? No! Well, if you want my room you could have it but then you'd have to share it cause it's the only one where the bed has been carefully formed for my body in specific for years," he suggested with a shrug of his shoulders, he pretended to mean it as a real suggestion even though he was sarcastic.

She gave him her look and he shook his head, trying to keep his smile from getting any bigger. She let go of his hand to walk over and sit on the bed, feeling the soft material as she let her back fall onto it. He observed her from the doorway, and she turned her head at the feel of his eyes. She had put her hands on her belly and twined them together. They watched each other, as they had done so many times lately, and before any of them knew it they had been staring at each other way too long. They both jumped when his phone called and she immediately focused her eyes on the ceiling as he took up his phone to see the face of their Irish friend.

"It's... it's Ryan!" he exclaimed with shock and she bolted up from the bed in sitting position.

"What?!" she looked at him with wide eyes. "Don't answer it!" she added.

He gave her a look, "I have to, otherwise they'll know something's up," he said and holding up his hand as he slid his finger across the phone. "Castle."

She raised from the bed and walked over to him quietly, deciding to try and find out what their mutual friend wanted.

"What? Why?" Castle asked, running his hands through his hair.

Whatever they were talking about she could tell it was nothing good, she reached his side and leaned in to be able to hear the conversation.

"We're just around the corner now, just thought we could give you a small heads up," Ryan's voice said and she felt her body freeze.

 _What the hell?_ He ended the call and looked at her with an apologetic look.

"They're almost here."

She felt a small panic run through her body.

" _Here?!_ " she questioned and he nodded.

"Apparently they thought it would be a shame for me to be here on my own so Montgomery agreed they could have one half-day off tomorrow so they could keep me company," he said and then he added, "why is it so hard to believe I could be on my own?"

If it wasn't for the panic she felt she would laugh at that, mock him with some sassy comment about all the times they had left him alone and it hadn't exactly worked out like it should've.

"Oh my god," she breathed out running her hand down her face.

"What are we going to say?What..." he rambled, getting frightened she might want to leave.

She looked up into his eyes and saw the fear. She wasn't sure what he was afraid of but she could figure it out. Sometimes it was like they could read each other, they didn't need to talk to know exactly what the other was thinking. She broke their eye contact to look down at the floor while she tried to think out their move, a plan that would work. She took a couple of deep breaths to steady her thoughts before she turned back to him.

"Do you have any more guest rooms?" she asked and he shook his head to try gather his thoughts.

"Uhm, no, I have two in total, this is one of them," he answered. "I don't think it would be a good idea to let them sleep in Alexis or my mother's room," he added apologetically.

She licked her lips and bit the lower before she voiced her next question, afraid of what he might say.

"Your offer of sharing your room still stands?"

Her voice seemed small, as if it was the scariest question she had ever asked, which it was. She didn't want him to think less of her. At the same time the bare thought of sharing a bed with him, even just for sleeping, brought butterflies to her belly and her mind went dizzy. He couldn't believe his ears. Was she really considering staying in his bed? _With him_?

"Are you sure?" his voice was filled with confusion.

She nodded slowly and his eyes widened but he immediately said an 'ok' and grabbed her bag again to guide her towards his bedroom instead. She followed him without hesitation and he told her she could unpack and put the clothes in the empty drawers. Just as he was about to show her exactly which drawers were empty there was a honk outside the house and they both looked towards the windows.

"I'll go stall them, you unpack and then come down," he said heading for the door, "if you want them to know you're here that is," he added with an unsure look back before he disappeared out the room.

She took a wavy breath before she chuckled and muttered an 'oh my god'. Without exactly knowing which drawers he had meant she started opening drawers a little here and there, suddenly looking straight at his boxers. The first she did was close the drawer again and considered _not_ opening another drawer. Then she heard the mumbles of the guys downstairs, so she quickly did what he had told her to do.

"We got beer!" Esposito said as Castle opened the front door.

Castle tried smiling through the nervousness as he opened the door wider to let them inside. Once they were in he closed the door and led them towards the bar he had set up in the open living room.

"I can't believe you guys drove here, how did you even know where to find me?" Castle questioned as he took accepted a beer held out for him.

"Dude, we're cops," Esposito gave him a meaningful look.

"We just searched for your properties," Ryan shrugged his shoulders and they clinked their bottles before taking a sip.

Castle offered to turn on the tv knowing there was a football game going on, and he knew that would give Beckett some time to do what she needed to do upstairs without worrying they heard her. As soon as the tv was on the three men went silent, eyes glued to the screen. Well, all eyes except for the writer's, those blue eyes kept glancing backwards towards the stairs, wondering when and if his muse would show up. He wouldn't blame her if she would hide in his room until the guys went home the next day, after all she had asked him to keep them a secret for now. Whatever they were. He was actually not even sure if he could call them for 'them', there had been indication that she wanted to give 'them' a try but... how could he be sure? They hadn't always been so great at communicating so why would they be any good at all now? In the first commercial Esposito took a deep sigh of disappointment and turned towards the writer.

"I'm sorry bro, I tried talking some sense into Beckett, I really thought I got through to her," he said in a grumpy tone, "never thought she'd run away with Demming after that," he snorted.

Castle was surprised by his words. His confession.

"What do you mean?" Castle voiced his thought.

"Well, she was all about you coming back after the summer, that there was no doubt, and I couldn't just stand her not knowing what this 'break' was. You're like a brother to us now, and she's like a sister, can't stand the thought of you two with broken hearts," Esposito revealed and Castle felt shocked at that.

Esposito had talked to Beckett? Was that the reason she changed her mind? What did that mean?

"Uhm, it's okay Espo," he said, knowing that whatever had happened happened and right now the woman of their conversation was in his bedroom.

She had gone with him. She had chosen him after having a wake up call from her brother in arm.

"No, it's not. Even I've seen it. She doesn't love him, how can she not see that she has feelings for you?" Ryan shipped in and Castle felt his heart race.

What if Beckett was to come down and hear what they were saying? To his relief the game begun again and the two men turned their gazes back to the tv. Castle let go of a silent breath, now he just hoped she hadn't heard anything. He turned his head to look towards the stairs, and the smile forming on his lips was pure. Beckett was sneaking down the stairs, he was surprised by the fact that she had switched clothes and the fact that she had been in his bedroom when doing so caused his thoughts to go to places they shouldn't. Beckett immediately noticed his eyes on her clothes and she shook her head at him, she had put on a sweatshirt instead of the blouse she had earlier, thinking it would be comfier especially considering all the questions that awaited them. She walked as quietly as she could, nearing the couch the three men sat in. She took a deep breath in a try to prepare herself.

"Hey," she tried to greet as normal as she could and her two partners flew up from the couch turning towards her in a cop-like reaction.

They hadn't heard her so of course they would react as cops, always ready to defend themselves and whoever would be in the crosshairs.

"Beckett?!" Esposito was the one to shriek her name in a question that held so many more.

"What are you doing here?" Ryan asked and she crossed her arms in front of her chest, as if to protect herself.

"I-uh, I listened to Espo. I broke it off and asked Castle to cover for me," she said meeting their shocked gazes.

She looked at Castle who just grinned at her. He was smitten by her, he knew it could break his heart but at that moment he didn't care.

"Bu... what are you doing _here_?" Ryan repeated himself, not knowing how to accept what he was seeing.

She took a deep breath and bit her inside cheek. She didn't want to talk too much about it, it scared her, and she was afraid that if she started talking she would find herself running away.

"How about we just skip the questions for today? Just let it be," Castle suggested, her eyes giving away the fright.

He wasn't sure her brothers noticed but he did, and he didn't want to loose her when he was so close to getting her. Surprisingly they agreed, they sat down in the couch again after asking their sister to join in. She gave Castle a grateful look before she walked over to the couch and sunk down beside him, earning a small glance from her partners. And that's where they stayed, the whole evening, her slowly allowing her body leaning closer and closer to her writer. None of them had any idea how this would work, both scared what would happen, but they were sure of one thing. This was just the beginning of a long story.

 _The End_


	7. Chapter 7 - Forgive me

_Prompt: A breaks a promise B had set and gives A the silent treatment leading A to at some point get down on his/her knees and begging for forgiveness._

"You promised!" Castle said.

He might not be yelling but that made everything feel so much worse. Kate hated seeing him this mad, and the fact that he wasn't yelling but just giving her this angry look before turning away to walk into his office. A fear ran down her veins, how could she be so stupid to break that promise?

"Castle."

Her voice barely audible voice cracked a bit at seeing his body not even flinch at the mention of his name. The back of his body disappeared into the office before she could say another word. With a deep sigh she wiped her face.

Castle sat down by his desk, taking out his laptop to start it up and open a word document. He couldn't believe she had told Gina about his writer's block even though she had promised not to ever talk about him or work with his publisher and ex-wife! As he had done so many times before with her he wrote down what he felt, twisted the feelings into the scene between Jameson Rook and Nikki Heat, made it fit their own argument that had come up. He noticed the second Kate came into his office but decided to ignore her, there was no way he was going to let this go so fast.

"Castle?" Kate carefully walked into the room, approached his desk with slow steps.

He ignored her. The ignoring would probably have consequences for him later on but he didn't care, right now he needed to be angry with her and he needed her to know he was angry.

"Rick, please talk to me," Kate asked but yet again got nothing in response.

She was surprised when her husband didn't even seem to acknowledge the fact that she had used his first name.

 _"There's the famous inspiration of Nikki Heat," Kate snapped her head up at the woman who entered the bullpen._

 _Gina looked at her with a big smile set on her lips._

 _"Hey Gina, what brings you here?" Kate asked with shock filling her body._

 _She shrugged her shoulders and sat down in Castle's chair, to Kate's irritation she didn't even ask if it was ok._

 _"Where's Rick?" she asked back ignoring Kate's question._

 _"He's out with the boys, tracking down a lead, why?" Kate asked, returning to reading the case files she had in front of her._

 _Kate had no interest in talking to her husband's ex-wife, it never felt right, especially since he wasn't even around to defend himself._

 _"So he's not at home, writing?" Gina continued to ask and Kate just shook her head. "Has he finished the last chapter yet?"_

 _Kate shrugged her shoulders._

 _"We don't usually talk about it unless he wants help with the police side," she said, trying to ignore the woman's snooping._

 _"Has he written anything at all lately?"_

 _Kate got a feeling she wouldn't be left alone if she didn't do anything about the woman. She looked up from the files and steadied her gaze on Gina._

 _"Gina, I don't mean to be rude but I don't have time for this, I have a case to solve, so what do you want?" she studied Gina's features as she shrugged her shoulders._

 _"He got another writer's block doesn't he?" the ex-wife asked and Kate suddenly heard herself agreeing before she shut her mouth as quick as she could._

 _'Damn it!' she thought as she saw the smug smile on the publisher's face when she raised from the chair._

 _"Thanks detective, you've been real helpful," she said before she turned around and walked out the bullpen._

"I'm sorry Rick, it won't happen again! I don't know why I even opened my mouth! She was just so irritatingly glaring at me and I needed to get her out of there," Kate knew it wasn't even close to a good apology but she honestly didn't know how to repay him if he wouldn't talk to her.

As suspected he didn't show any acknowledgement at her words, none at all. His fingers kept on typing though, and she considered walking around his desk to stand behind him and read whatever he was writing but she had a feeling he would close his laptop and walk somewhere else if she did. It was weird how his behavior affected her, how his silent treatment made her feel as though he would never speak to her again. He'd never been this angry before, of course he had been angry but he had always been the one to snap at her, yell at her, talk every thought that came into his mind, this was so much worse. Now she finally understood how he felt the times she had given him the silent treatment, even if he had, to her irritation, found a way to make her smile again.

"Please, please Rick, talk to me, something, just say something," she hated it but she was now begging.

Castle was determined not to give up that easy, even if her voice was starting to get to him. He kept his eyes locked on the laptop screen, knowing that if he even glanced at her he would give in, and continued his writing, even if right now he had totally switched it all up and started writing about them and not about Heat and Rook. Suddenly he felt his wife carefully move around his desk and he considered closing his laptop to hide what he was writing, but decided he would just continue to ignore her and her actions.

Finally seeing a twitch in her husbands eyes Kate felt her heart beat faster, at least she had proof he actually noticed her, not that she had doubted he saw and heard her but it was nice to see something that told her he did. The second she was behind him she tried to read what he had written, she knew she would be able to find out what he was not _talking_ about. She gasped quietly when she saw what he was writing. He'd written how he left the loft, left her, to drive around in his Ferrari in the city with no apparent goal, trying to figure out what to do and how to feel. She licked her lips, biting her lower while trying to fight the emotions that grew inside her. He was currently writing how he ended up at the Old Haunt, drinking whiskey after whiskey to try and drown whatever betrayal he was feeling. Kate's eyes burnt from the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks, she had to turn away, turn her eyes elsewhere.

"I'm sorry," her voice was just a whisper, barely audible.

Castle immediately stopped typing at that, his fingers coming to a halt the second he heard the weak voice behind him. He knew he was overreacting, of course he was! But he never figured his written words would have that effect on her, that she would take it so serious. He turned his head towards her and found her looking out the window, her lower lip in a lock between her teeth in an attempt not to start crying. There was shock running in his veins, he didn't know what to do, he couldn't believe his eyes. The normally so strong woman was breaking apart in front of him, _because of him_. Before he could react she had fallen down on her knees and turned her gaze up to him, meeting his gaze.

"Please Rick, I'm sorry, don't leave, I-I don't know what I'd do without you," she continued rambling on but he stopped her by sliding down to his own knees in front of her and cupping her face into his hands.

"No, no Kate, I'd never do that, you know that!" he panicked about the thought of her actually _believing_ he could do that. "Come on Kate, you know as much as I do that I can't live without you," he continued and he felt her take a shattering breath.

"But the things your wrote, that's how you feel," she whispered, "I can't believe I hurt you like that, you've constantly told me since we started dating that you wouldn't tolerate me talking about your writing with Gina."

Kate continued with the whispering, not sure her voice would carry her even if she tried. Castle damned himself for writing and letting her see what he wrote.

"I exaggerated, Kate, I just wrote me leaving because I was upset, I needed to write something to get it out of my system. You _know_ I'd never leave you, especially not because of a stupid promise being broken," he tried to convince her and he could see her gulp.

"But Rick, you _do_ feel betrayed don't you? And you won't ever let me read anything in fear of me telling your ex-wife again, I read it so don't try to deny it," Kate just mumbled the last part.

"Oh Kate." Castle sighed at his wife's believes. "Do you even know why I'm having a writer's block? Why I've told you I wasn't sure as to where Nikki and Rook are headed?" he asked and she shook her head looking down.

"Because you have trouble finding inspiration in me?"

The sentence was barely audible but Castle felt his insides freeze at her thought. How could she even _think_ that was something that could happen?! He was inspired by her _every single day_.

" _No_! You're the perfect and _only_ muse and you know that, you know I'd never tire of writing books about you!" he was starting to get upset.

Where was all of this coming from? There must've been other events that had made her start thinking this way, it couldn't just have been this one thing. His writing had been the last piece she could take though, that's why she was reacting the way she was. But... he was still so unsure about what was going on, she never broke down like this for nothing, ever.

"Kate, the reason I'm stuck is because Nikki's pregnant," he revealed and his wife's eyes were immediately on his.

"What?" she whispered in shock.

"I wrote Nikki finding out she's pregnant, and the reason I'm stuck is because I can't really imagine what kind of person she... _you_ will be once you're pregnant. Will you be the emotional one, hysterical one, badass one, the one who never asks for help, the one who always wants candy and other sweets, and so on. I want to know but I... I can't decide because no matter how much I know you and your mind Kate I can't be sure of what kind of pregnancy it would be with you," he told her everything, every thought he'd had when writing Nikki seeing the symbol of a small life growing in her womb.

Kate was half in shock, not really sure as to how to react. He'd picture her being pregnant, her carrying his child, _their_ child.

"That's the only reason, I wanted it to happen to you first, before I wrote it into the books, but it fit into the story I've been working on, and I don't want anyone else to know which is also a bit why I got mad at you. I was afraid you'd perhaps read it when you couldn't sleep one night, like you do sometimes even if you think I don't notice," he half smirked and she couldn't help but blush.

"You know about that?" she questioned and he nodded with a big grin setting his lips.

"Yep, I know how you try to read the books before anyone else," he admitted. "And you always look so innocent, I love it."

She blushed even harder and he made the decision she was stable enough to get up from the floor. Carefully he pulled her up with him as he stood up and as he sat down in his chair he dragged her down to sit on his lap.

"Well, these feelings are gone," he said before he easily marked all the words he'd written, minutes earlier, and deleted them.

"Castle?" Kate asked and he turned his gaze to hers. "Will you forgive me? For talking about your writing with Gina?"

He smiled, "of course, I'd say anything to get her off my back too," he teased and she chuckled.

Once her chuckle died he put his hand on her cheek, to be able to pull her closer to him, and put his lips on hers. The kiss was soft, loving, and she immediately kissed him back without hesitation.

"I love you," she muttered when their lips parted, "with all of my heart."

"I love you too Kate," he looked into her eyes, "always."

She smiled and leaned in to kiss him again, knowing there was one more thing to tell him. Kate had meant to wait for this, but seeing how all of this tiny problem turned out she thought it might be best to tell him right away. She didn't want him to think she _kept_ it from him, she _had_ wanted a little more time to actually make it into a big surprise that she knew he would've loved but, there really was no option anymore.

"Nikki would be emotional, and craving a lot more than just candy," she said, trying to keep her smile from getting too big.

Castle looked at her confused, "how would you kno..." he stopped middle sentence, his eyes widening as he realized what she was saying. "Are you saying?"

"Yes, I'm pregnant," Kate gave out and she shrieked as he stood up, lifting her with him bridal style as he shouted a joy-filled scream.

She laughed at his silly reaction and it didn't take long before their lips found their way back to each other. That night they celebrated life through making love and talking to her belly until they fell asleep with arms wrapped around each other and the life that was living inside her.

 _The End_


	8. Chapter 8 - I accept part 2

"She out?" Esposito whispered after one again glancing at his sister.

Castle followed his eyes to the sleeping Kate Beckett with her head snuggled onto his shoulder. For a few seconds he got stuck there, not really understanding how it all had come to here, with her snuggled close into his side and his arm securely around her body, but then he heard the detective clear his throat quietly.

"Yeah, she's out," Castle then turned to the two men observing him and the woman in his embrace.

"Why didn't you tell us she was going with you? Then we wouldn't have come," Ryan whispered accusingly, with a hint of confusion in his voice.

"Like she said, she didn't want you guys to know yet, she wanted us to have this weekend to figure out what..." Castle stopped middle sentence to look down at Kate. "I don't know, what we have? What we could be? I don't have all the answers either guys but I don't want her to get scared away," he added quietly, praying there was no way she would ever hear this.

Esposito and Ryan nodded understanding.

"Do you have room for all of us?" Esposito asked, probably he didn't want Beckett to wake up realizing they were talking about her either.

"Well, we kind of discussed that quick when you guys called. You will be sleeping in the two guest rooms I have here, she will be sleeping in my room," Castle explained.

"And you?" Ryan asked and Castle couldn't help but chuckle at his question.

"Actually we'll be sharing my bed. Unless she's changed her mind once we get up there, I just hope she won't regret it," Castle answered with care.

"Really?" Esposito looked shocked, "your idea, right?" he added.

"No, it was... it was actually her idea," Castle answered, a bit shocked himself.

Both men's eyes widened and they all three looked at the woman. Castle considered kissing her hair, but he was afraid she would wake up and yell at him.

"Maybe we should get to bed, it's been a long day, besides I don't wanna be the reason she complains about waking up with a bad neck when we could've woken her up," Ryan said standing up with his brother-in-arm right behind him.

"Amen to that," Esposito said with a chuckle.

The writer rolled his eyes but couldn't help but, in his mind, he agreed. Not a chance he would have a complaining Beckett at the Hamptons for a whole weekend, not unless he could prevent it. Castle told the men where to find the guest rooms, told them that he would take care of Kate, and they were off saying good night immediately. Neither of them wanted to be there if Beckett would get mad when he woke her up.

"Kate? Time to get up for bed," Castle whispered close to her ear.

He continued to whisper into her ear but all she did was quietly moan in protest, so he decided to take a risk by carefully swooping her up into his arms to carry her up the stairs to his bedroom. Surprisingly she didn't wake up, at least not until he lowered her down onto the bed, her eyes slowly opened and focused on him.

"Hey," Castle whispered low, "didn't mean to wake you."

Kate couldn't help but smile at that, she sat up and wiped her face to try and wake up some.

"Let me just change to my pjs," she mumbled when she raised from the bed.

Grabbing her pjs from one of the drawers Castle watched her walk into his bathroom to change, he decided it was probably best if he changed too. He was right about done the second she came out of the bathroom, when he looked at her he saw she had found one of his robes and wore it. Figuring it was as to not having to expose too much to him he let it slide without commenting. Instead he asked what side she wanted to sleep on, and they both agreed she would sleep on the left side, or once they laid in bed it technically was to the right. It didn't take long before they were both out, sleeping like they had never slept before. Sometime during their sleep, they had crawled together, her head on his chest and his arm firmly around her body, and that's how they woke up. Kate was the one to wake up first, and even if she thought about moving away from their position she was way too comfortable laying like that. She was surprised she had slept like she had, no nightmares at all, no chasing, no shooting, nothing. It was one of the things she had been afraid of before she fell asleep, that she would get one of those awful nightmares about her mom's death and wake up Castle, but she didn't. She knew that if she told Lanie any of this her best friend would tell her it was a sign, a sign that she and Castle was meant to be, that he was the reason she had slept so good.

His heartbeat calmed her nerves, and she could feel her own heart had synchronized with his, beating in the same pace. Kate knew the second he was waking up, she could hear it in how his breathing started become less deep, and she didn't dare move, wasn't sure how he would react to their position. She could feel his body tense up a bit, once again the thought of moving crossed her mind but she wasn't sure that would make it any better, any less awkward. Castle carefully glanced down at the woman on his chest, seeing her hair tangled around him made his heart swell, and he was surprised to find her eyes open. Was he dreaming? Was she actually laying with her body as close to his as she could? He had dreamt of this, but it had never felt as good and tingling as it did right now. So it must be real, right? Their bodies flinched at the sudden knock on his bedroom door and their eyes reached it with surprise before they looked at each other.

"Castle? Sorry to bother but we're gonna go make breakfast," Ryan said through the door and immediately when they heard his voice they pulled away from each other.

"Is it okay if we take the bacon?" Esposito asked and Castle managed to see Kate's cheeks go red before she hid under the covers.

"Uh-Yeah, sure! Knock yourselves out, we'll be down in a minute," Castle shouted back and he heard the two men walk away from the door.

He took a deep breath before he wiped his face and looked up in at the roof to collect his thoughts. In the meantime, under the covers, Kate peeked up at her writer, observing him as he looked up. She couldn't help it, she was afraid of this, the feelings that was boiling inside of her in that moment, when she was watching him. It wasn't like he was doing anything special, he just seemed lost in his mind, but somehow it still made her insides flip.

"Never figured you for a starer," his dark sudden voice startled her and before she had time to hide under the covers his eyes met hers.

"I'm not," she mumbled, narrowing her eyes before she turned away her gaze.

"Sure," he teased, earning a look from her.

He started chuckling and was surprised to see his chuckle make a smile appear on her lips, or at least he saw the beginning of a smile before she once again put the covers over her head. Somewhere far away they heard the guys yell up the stairs that the bacon was ready, so Castle got out of bed and walked on over to his drawers to get out a new shirt and some pants. Since Kate was still under the covers he didn't bother going into the bathroom but changed right there on the spot, with his back turned towards her. What he didn't know was that Kate heard exactly what he was doing and decided to peek out again, biting her lower lip when she eyed his naked back as he changed the shirt. She never figured his naked back would look so... firm and strong, and she found herself imagining what it would be like giving him a massage, wondering where his weak spots would be. Another thought crossing her mind was if he was one of those people who couldn't help but moan when someone massaged them, and if he wasn't she wondered what it would take to make him moan anyway.

"You should get dressed, if we don't go down there soon they might think... something," Castle turned around as he spoke and hesitated at the last word, not sure of what to say.

Once again he caught her staring though and he couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat while she immediately turned her gaze away. He carefully watched as she jumped out of his bed, _his bed_ , and walked to get some clothes before she went into the bathroom. It was unbelievable that she had actually _slept_ in _his_ bed, mind blowing even. Would she do it again tonight or was it just a one time thing thanks to her partners showing up? They later walked down the stairs together, seeing the looks of Esposito and Ryan as the two cops still had troubles understanding what was going on.

"You two sleep okay?" Castle asked as Esposito put bacon on his plate.

"Yeah, if it weren't for work I'd totally stay longer just to sleep in that bed, where did you get them?" Ryan asked and Esposito snorted at his geeky partner.

Castle couldn't help but chuckle before he answered honey-milk's question.

"What about you two, you sleep good?" Esposito asked glancing between the writer and his sister.

Kate could feel her cheeks get warm but tried to ignore it by turning her attention to take some food onto a plate of her own. She decided she didn't need to answer since her sleeping buddy replied with a 'yeah', knowing that they wouldn't demand an answer from her too unless she had any objections to the answer. They ate in silence, none of them really knowing what to say without turning everything into an awkward situation, more awkward than it already was that is. Once they were all done Esposito and Ryan excused themselves to go and pack the little things they had with them when they came the night before, after all they needed to be back at work sooner than they would've wanted to. As they quickly disappeared Kate decided she could do the dishes and went to the sink where she took out the things she needed.

"You don't have to..." Castle started but she caught him short.

"It's the least I can do."

This time he didn't argue, just took the towel and decided to at least help her out, there was no way he would let his _guest_ do all the work no matter how stubborn she might be. It didn't take long before she was handing him the last plate and as he took it their hands touched, sending a bolt of static through both their bodies. Without much thought she drew her hand away from his, letting go of the plate and if it wasn't for him already holding it, it would've gone straight for the floor. Kate's eyes got locked in his blues, staring deep into them thinking about everything they've been through together, thinking about how every time their eyes met she felt her heart skip a beat and it felt like her mind was running a marathon of thoughts. This time it got too much, too many thoughts of him, and they were suddenly so damn close she could almost feel his nose to hers. She had no idea how they had gotten so close, no idea when he had put the plate on the counter and carefully placed his hand on her hip. Just when she started leaning closer to him, not being able to think straight, two gasps had her pulling away as if she had been burnt, putting enough space between them for his hand to fall down from her hip.

"Sorry we didn't mean to interrupt," Ryan stammered, clearly embarrassed by the looks of his red cheeks.

Esposito was speechless, he had no idea what to say, and neither did Kate, she just looked down with her body turned away from them. Castle turned his eyes from the two men standing in the door opening towards the woman a few feet from him, he could see her jaw tensing and feared she was going to pull away from him completely now. They were so close, why couldn't Esposito and Ryan have waited just one more minute before they appeared?

"Uhm... we should go... need to be back," Esposito got out from his mouth and broke the freeze spell they had all been exposed to.

The guys, including all three of them, started walking towards the front door, only Castle stopped in his tracks by the kitchen opening when he realized Kate hadn't followed. While the two cops continued for the front door Castle turned back and eyes his... his partner.

"You coming?" he asked carefully, not wanting to scare her away.

He knew this was his shot, and his _only_ shot at this. She wasn't one to open easily, and he knew that, which was why he was so afraid of loosing her all the time. Kate looked up from the floor for the first time since she pulled away and bit her lip at seeing Castle watching her the way he did, with a small fear in his eyes. She shook her head to gather her thoughts before she took a quick deep breath and walked towards him, carefully twined their fingers together as she pulled him with her towards the other guys. When they got there they let go of each other's hands to be able to hug their friends goodbye.

"Have a great weekend!" Ryan said before he walked out the door.

"Yeah, don't kill each other," Esposito warned chuckling as he dodged a slap, in the back of his head, thrown by Kate. "Hah! Missed," he called out escaping through the door.

"Don't you dare touch any of my things while I'm gone!" Kate called back at them as they jumped into their car.

"Yeah yeah!" Ryan called back before they closed their doors and started the car engine.

The four friends waved to each other as the car got out of the driveway and drove away, once the care was out of sight Kate turned to the writer.

"So... you're still staying, right?" Castle asked, trying to hide his fear of not getting the chance to actually spend some alone time with the detective he's found himself so smitten with.

"Of course! I didn't sleep in the same bed as you just to run away the next day," she tried to tease but realized she was just simply telling the truth. Clearing her throat she changed the subject, "you have any plans on what we could do?"

Castle thought for a second before he looked out at the sun, he had one idea of what they could do but wasn't so sure as to what she thought about it. Only one way to find out.

"Do you wanna go for a swim? It's nice weather and the pool's temperature is controlled anyway so it's always warm enough to swim in, you could also just stay in the sun if you wanna work on your tan," he kept on rambling about all the possibilities they had near the pool, even started talking about how they could bring out food and have a small picnic if she wanted and she knew she would have to shut him up.

"Hey!" she immediately got his attention, gulping at her high call, "I would love to swim, no need to make it more complicated," she added the last part with a wink before she went into the house again to retrieve her swimsuit.

It took a few minutes before Castle registered what the woman had said, and he took off after her to get his trunks. When he got to his room she was already in his bathroom, so he quickly changed right there in his room, figuring she would be in there for a while, and told her through the door that he would meet her down by the pool.

In his bathroom stood Kate, with her swimsuit in one hand and the bikini in the other, not being able to decide which one she should put on. She jumped when he knocked on her door, told her he'd be at the pool, because even if she knew she had locked the door it was still only that _one door_ between his eyes and her naked body. Her body relaxed once she could hear his footsteps walk down the stairs and she once again concentrated on the materials in her hands.

"Screw it," she mumbled to herself and put on the bikini, deciding she couldn't pass on the chance to see the look Castle would get on his face when he saw her.

Once she looked in the mirror she wondered for a second if it really was a good decision but pushed away the thought, put on a robe to shield her body and walked out the door with determined steps. She wasn't going to let fear control her, not this time.

 _To be continued..._


	9. Chapter 9 - Halloween strangers

_Prompt: Halloween AU. Deep conversations and wow I wonder what you look like under that scary mask.  
M-rated._

"Wow! What the..." Richard Castle, the famous mystery author, shrieked when a horrible mask-clad person stumbled into his body.

"Whoops sorry!" he was shocked to hear the person behind the mask was a woman. "I lost my balance, won't happen again!"

The mask-clad person regained her balance and straightened up in front of him, smoothing out the clothes she had on, which definitely showed the person behind the mask was a woman.

"No it-it's okay! Are you okay?" Castle couldn't help but ask, concerned about what could happen if the woman had fallen into the wrong hands.

"Yeah, fine, oh my god," he couldn't see her eyes, due to that god-awful mask, but thanks to the surprised tone in her voice he could imagine they were wide.

"What?" he asked but before he could get an answer a kitty-dressed woman came up to them.

"There you are! Come on Kate!" the new woman said grabbing the mask-clad one to drag with her towards the dance floor.

Castle could do nothing but watch as the two ran off but couldn't quite get his mind of the woman who'd stumbled upon him, and her reaction. What had she seen that had made her sound so surprised? Before he knew it the women were out of his sight and he decided to go back to the bar, ordering another drink might get his tense body to relax. Once he got his drink he'd forgotten all about the mystery mask-woman, drowning the fact that his mother and daughter had ditched him on one of his favorite holidays. He had always loved dressing up with his daughter for halloween but this year she had preferred going to a halloween-themed sleepover at her best friend instead of being with him, of course he could understand her but he was also a bit hurt by the decision. And his mother had obviously already made plans when he had told her about Alexis going to a sleepover, so there was nothing left for him to do but to search for the best party he could find in the area. Throughout the party he realized it wasn't as fun as he remembered it, he tried dancing which ended up with a bunch of girls dancing with him but none of them seemed interesting, they had all looked at him like he was some kind of meat they wanted and he just felt out of place so he also tried staying by the bar but that just ended with him drinking... a lot. He was about to give up, go home and put on a scary movie when he felt a body bump into him.

"Sorry!" a woman's voice said and when he turned around he was suddenly facing that mask-clad woman again. "Oh, hi," she said, suddenly there was a shyness in her voice that there hadn't been the first time she ran into him.

"Eh hi! Kate, is it?" he asked, suddenly remembering what the other woman had called her.

"Eh, yeah," she, Kate, answered carefully, "I'm sorry for... I'm a bit tipsy," she slurred and he caught her arm before she managed to loose her balance again.

Castle looked around, wondering where her friend was, slightly irritated at how she could leave her friend this drunk without looking after her.

"Who're you looking for?" Kate asked, apparently not drunk enough to see he was a bit distracted.

"Your friend, why aren't you with her?" he couldn't help but ask, he didn't know why but the fact that he had stumbled across this woman twice didn't feel like a coincidence he should ignore.

"She's with Javi, her boyfriend, figured I could use another drink and head for a couch while they're on their way home," she answered walking off towards the bar.

"Wait!" he called out after her, deciding he couldn't let her just wander off when she was that drunk.

What if something happened to her? He shook his head at his thought, why did _he_ care? He didn't know this woman, hell he didn't even know what she looked like under that god-awful mask! But then he started to think of Alexis, if his daughter ever became this drunk when she's older he'd want there to be someone like himself deciding to take care of her, making sure no one tried to use her. So he followed her, Kate, the mask-lady, to the bar.

"Stalker much?" Kate asked giggling when she turned around and found Richard Castle in front of her.

"Are you sure you should drink another drink?" he asked her and she raised her eyebrows.

"I never figured _the_ Richard Castle, who signs women's breasts, would be one to stop a girl from drinking."

His eyes went wide at that, she knew who he was?! Sure his outfit weren't really covering him, he had dressed up as a space cowboy, but still, _she knew who he was_!

"Eh, I'm not in the position to stop you, it's your choice, but if you do I'll stick around to make sure you don't do anything stupid," Castle had no idea where those words came from.

They had just come out of his mouth, his voice and all, but he had no idea why he was being so protective of the woman who he still had no idea how she even looked like. All he knew about her was that her name was Kate, she had come in contact with at least one of his books, and she was dressed as a monster, that was all.

"You promise?" she challenged him, daring loud and clear in her voice.

He didn't know what to say and she ordered a drink from the bartender who immediately served her. She turned around and walked away from him, his eyes were drawn to her ass when she swayed it far more than she needed to. Castle was surprised to say the least when Kate suddenly turned towards him again and called out "you coming?" before she continued to walk away. Without any hesitation he jogged after her, he wasn't sure as to what was going on but he was determined not to let anything happen to her, didn't matter that he didn't know her. As soon as he caught up with her she had led him to a booth in one of the dark corners, she sat down in one end and he joined her sitting down in the other, not wanting to invade her personal space.

"So, why you here Richard?" Kate asked, putting her drink in between the mask's mouth to be able to drink it.

"Ew please, calling me Mr Castle or Rick is so much better than that," Castle complained, only being able to picture her mother when people called him by his full name.

"Okay, why are you here Castle?" she asked taking a sip, and he immediately nodded as approval on her nickname.

"I came to party, but turns out I should've stayed home, what about you Kate?"

"Well, mom's gone since a couple of years back and dad's in rehab, nothing left to do than getting dragged out by your best friend who's going to leave with her boyfriend anyway so why bother coming?"

He wasn't sure he was following her slurred words, not sure she knew what she was talking about.

"You're mom's gone and your dad's in rehab? What happened?"

He knew it was a bold question, one she would probably dismiss before ditching him due to putting his nose where it didn't belong, but he couldn't help it. His writer-mind wanted answers, _needed_ answers.

"Yeah, my mom passed away a couple years ago," he could hear a lump forming in her throat, "my dad started drinking, and I finally convinced him to stop, so he's in rehab right now."

"I'm sorry," Castle apologized, didn't know it would be such a terrible story behind her decision to go out this holiday.

Her mask-clad head shook, slurring a "is okay" before she took another sip of her drink. He felt awful for asking, thought of what he could say to make it better, but he figured nothing could really make it better could it? So he decided that since she was so honest he should be too, even if they didn't know each other.

"I'm actually here because my daughter ditched me for a sleepover and my mother had other plans than spending the evening with her only son," Castle told her and he immediately felt her eyes on him, even if he couldn't actually see her eyes because of the red eyes on the mask.

"You have a daughter?" she asked, and for the first time since she ran into him, again, she actually sounded sober.

"Yeah, I do, I spend as much time with her as I can since her mother is off doing god knows what, or who," he only muttered the last part but by the way she shifted in her seat he was pretty sure she'd heard.

"So, you're not married?" Kate asked and he heard a small hesitation in her voice.

"Nope, already tried that, twice, didn't work out neither time," Castle said.

He had no idea why he was sharing all this information with this woman, for all he knew she could be a reporter acting drunk only to get something to write about in a gossip magazine, but it felt right and it actually made him feel better. Sure, he'd been in this big room filled with people but before he started talking to the woman in front of him he had felt as if he was alone.

"How old is she?" Kate interrupted his thoughts and he couldn't help but grin at the fact that he was sitting there, talking about his daughter while he missed her terribly.

"She's eleven, but smart as an adult. She's more mature than me at many times," he chuckled and so did Kate. "You know, there are even times when she rolls her eyes at me telling me I can't have candy for breakfast because it's not healthy, I guess she's truly the adult in our family," she laughed at that.

Her laugh was beautiful, something he'd never really thought of someone else's laugh before, well except for his daughter's of course. Totally hypnotized he didn't even notice when she stopped laughing asking him something. Not until she suddenly was closer to him, waving a hand in front of him.

"Helloo? You still in there?" she asked with a teasing tone with a small hint of worry.

"Yeah, sorry," he immediately excused himself, "got lost in a memory."

The woman sat back in the sofa, letting go of a sigh which indicated she was relieved.

"So, you know who I am, you a fan?" Castle asked the question he'd wanted an answer on ever since she had said his name.

Her mask-clad head bent down and oh how he wished he could see if it was because of a blush on her cheeks. It was so strange not knowing who he was talking to, so far she didn't really have a face, he had no idea how she looked like, and it was starting to get to him.

"Uhm-yeah, my mom had a book of yours in her bookshelf, and so I started reading it," she revealed but he had a feeling that wasn't the only book she'd read, especially since she still didn't look up.

He let it go though, deciding that if she wanted to tell him she would, and if not then no harm done. They continued to talk, about everything and nothing really, and the more time that went the more he wanted to know what she looked like. He also felt this strange... field, like a magnetic field, pulling him closer to her. No idea if she felt it too he tried his best not to touch her in any way, tried not to put his hand on her thigh no matter how inviting it felt.

"Hey, you gonna buy more drinks or are you just gonna sit there and take up a whole booth?" someone suddenly interrupted them and when they looked at the guy in front of them they realized they had held up the table for two hours without even drinking or eating.

Kate had long ago finished that drink of hers and she had even beginning to sober up while they'd been talking.

"Uh, no, you can take it," Castle said and didn't think before he grabbed Kate's hand dragging her with him out of the booth.

The guy and the rest of the people he were with didn't hesitate as they took over it, and when they were out of hearing Kate opened her mouth.

"Why do they have a right to take that booth? We were there first, no matter if we have drinks or not," she accused and Castle glanced back at the people.

"Well, normally I would've stood up to defend our table but I really don't feel like getting into a fight that I'd have to explain to my daughter later," he was honest, because that's what they had been for the past two hours, honest.

She 'oh'ed and he chuckled as he looked at her.

"So you wanna dance or call it a night?" he asked and he could swear he heard her bite her lip.

Still holding hands she didn't say a word but only tugged him with her as she walked out onto the dance floor, trying to find a spot between all the people where they could stand. He couldn't help but glance down at her ass when she suddenly started moving it to the music as she walked, he felt ashamed for being so distracted by her, especially when she all of a sudden turned around and caught his eyes.

"Like what you see?" she teased and laughed at what he presumed was his 'caught-with-the-hand-in-the-cookie-jar-' look.

He coughed not sure of what to answer or how he could get out of the situation he'd put himself in. Before he knew it she had her hands around his neck and made his body dance with hers.

"Don't worry Castle, it's forgotten," she said and he placed his hands on her hips.

They didn't say a word while they danced, he tried to see her eyes through those red god-awful things on the mask but it was impossible, he had no idea how she could see in that mask, which reminded him she could probably see how hard he tried through it. Without warning Kate leaned her head beside his and before he could ask what she was doing she had opened her mouth and asked if they could get out of there, which he immediately agreed to being the gentleman he had become after Alexis' birth. As soon as they came outside they hailed a cab and before Castle could say anything Kate had already told the driver to make one stop at her address. Castle felt his heart beat fast in his chest, was this really happening?

"You kidnapping me?" he teased as the cab started moving.

"Nah, just figured my stalker wanted a chance to actually memorize where I live," she teased back, and oh now he definitely wanted to know what was behind that mask.

He had no doubt she was beautiful, he was mesmerized by everything about her so why wouldn't she be beautiful under that mask? The cab driver's eyes looking into the rearview mirror reminded both of them they weren't alone, and perhaps it wasn't so wise to say stuff as 'kidnapping' and 'stalker' in front of other people, no matter how much they joked at the moment so they quietly decided to stay silent for the rest of the ride. The second the cab stopped Castle was first to pay before they jumped out and Kate immediately took his hand to lead him towards her building. He let her lead her into the elevator before he spoke.

"What are we doing? I mean... I..."

Her chuckle made him look at her, "relax Castle. I just figured you could sign one of my books and then we could talk some more that's all," she said.

Now he regretted his question, bit his inner cheek before he could say anything else that was stupid. He followed her when she walked to an apartment door and couldn't help but observe her as she took out her key and unlocked the door.

"You wanna check in on your daughter? It's gotta be killing you to be out all night without calling her if you're used to celebrate halloween with her," Kate asked as they got inside and he couldn't help but smile at her in gratefulness.

"Yeah, thanks, it'll just take a second," he said and she pointed towards the couch as she walked in a direction towards a small corridor with doors.

"I'll be right back, just gonna get a book," she said walking off.

Castle went to the couch while taking out his phone and calling his daughter.

"Dad! Why are you calling so late? Where have you been?" Alexis whined as soon as she answered.

He couldn't help but chuckle at the grownup act she pulled.

"I've been out partying all night, but I guess so have you since you're still up," he teased and he could figuratively see her roll her eyes to him.

"We're watching horror films, of course we're not gonna sleep tonight," she said and he laughed at her statement.

"Anyway, I just wanted to check in on you, make sure everything's okay," he asked without actually asking.

"Everything's great dad, sorry I bailed on our tradition," she apologized and he saw Kate come out from the corridor again, to his surprise her mask still on.

"Don't worry pumpkin, you'll make it up to me somehow, oh! How about we walk to the park during night-time tomorrow?" he said excitedly and she scolded him about how there was no way in hell she would go out after what she had seen in those movies.

He laughed and told her he loved her before they hang up, he put his phone on the couch table and turned to Kate who had sat down in the other side of the sofa.

"You never gonna take off that mask?" he questioned with a fake sigh and she chuckled.

"Nope," she teased holding out a book of his towards him.

He took it and accepted the pen she handed him, he decided to take a risk he hadn't done since Alexis was six and wrote his number in her book along with a small message and his autograph. When he had closed the book he didn't give it back to her but put it behind him on the couch.

"I won't give it back until I leave," he said and she shook her head at his silliness.

"And why is that?" she asked and he smirked.

"Because," he only said that one word and he could see it drove her anxious.

"Because what?"

"So, you told me about your mom and you dad, any siblings?" he completely changed the subject.

He could feel the look she gave him from under that mask but ignored it until she sighed and answered his question, which led to more questions and soon they found themselves once again talking and sharing things they never thought they would share to complete strangers. Or, for him it was a complete stranger, for her she did know who he was and that was no secret.

"You know Castle, I always thought you were a guy living your life on page 6, a playboy," Kate suddenly admitted and Castle shook his head.

"That's not really me, people think they know me but they don't," he replied, finding himself a lot closer to her than he had been before.

Seemed like she had noticed the small distance between them as well because she got quiet too. He found himself really needing to be able to see her eyes, to be able to fall into them, so his hands moved without him even noticing it. His hands carefully took a hold of the mask and pulled it up, slowly revealing her lips, her pink beautiful lips and she was already more beautiful than he'd imagined. With the mask finally coming off he could see her eyes were a hazel green, and she had beautiful brown hair. The mask fell from his hands as he took in her beauty, drowning in her eyes. Gently he let his hand cup her cheek, his thumb carefully touch her lower lip and in surprise of the sensation it sent down her body she couldn't help but let her mouth fall open. He couldn't stop himself from leaning forward to put his lips on hers in a soft peck and he felt surprise fill his body when he pulled away and found her following him to move her lips onto his, giving him a real kiss.

Kate had no idea what she was doing, kissing him, but once she pulled away again she immediately missed his lips against hers. Biting her lip she hoped it would stop the tingling but it didn't, all she wanted was to feel his lips on hers again. But they only just met, she was just a stranger to him.

"I-I, I'm sorry," she stammered before she added, "or actually I'm not, but..." that's when she got caught off by his lips on hers again, sending that same sensation down her spine.

She couldn't help but moan into his mouth, sending shivers down his body. His tongue sneaked into her mouth, finding hers and that simple move had her yearning for more. She wanted more of him, and it scared her because the way she felt herself loosing control was something she had never felt before. Her body moved on its own as she put her knees on each side of the famous author, straddling him, and she started grinding herself against him as she felt him getting harder underneath.

"Kate if you keep going like that I won't last long," Castle mumbled against her mouth trying desperately to keep her hips from moving.

She whimpered at the loss of friction, but let go of an excited yelp when he twirled them around to put her back against the couch and guided his fingers under her shirt, carefully stroking his finger over her smooth skin, setting her body on fire. Before they knew it he had pulled off her shirt and was kissing down her her chest, kissing her breasts through the material of her black lace bra. Her back arched towards him at his touch, wanting nothing more than to get rid of the material separating his lips from her naked skin. She reached behind her back and unclasped her bra without hesitation, figuring it was way past that at this moment, and she let her hand land in his hair to guide his lips back to hers, being able to slip the bra off her arms while their lips were busy. How was it that one man's kisses, _kisses_ , could make her this uncontrollable? She had always been able to have absolute control on everything she was doing but right there, with him, she lost control, because his lips, oh those amazing lips, were making her dizzy and hot and arousal kept rising in her abdomen.

The sudden tugging on his shirt made Castle pull away from the woman's lips and he pulled his shirt over his head before he let his eyes roam the newfound beauty in front of him, sitting there with her breasts free in her naked glory. He was so hypnotized by her beauty, not sure how he would ever be able to look at another woman because the one in front of him was without a doubt the one. They might not truly know each other, he knew that, but somehow he had a feeling she was the one, the one woman to ever capture his heart. Because trust him, it's definitely captured. She had stolen it during their first deep conversation, and during her flirtatious drunken way. A state she was no more in, she might still have alcohol in her system but she was definitely sober enough to know _exactly_ what she was doing to him, the way she grabbed his hard bulge through his jeans proved it. He couldn't help but thrust his hips into her hand and seeing her lips drawing into a smirk made him gasp at the satisfaction it sent through his body. If she could be a tease he decided he could be too and before she could react he had his hand inside her panties with his fingers moving between her folds. The moan that slipped through her lips had his erection stand as proud as it could in his tight pants.

"Oh god!" she gasped as his fingers went inside her and triggered the first mind blowing orgasm she's ever experienced.

Suddenly she knew what all those books had meant, they weren't just made up! Castle drew back his hand, licking his fingers which he could see drove her crazy by the glimpse in her eyes. Her hands dove to his pants and before he could think a second thought both his pants and boxers were on the floor and she was stroking his hard erection with her both hands. A groan rose in his throat and he growled before he attacked her lips with his again, tasting her tongue, twisting and battling for dominance. He was sure he was going to loose the tongue battle until he suddenly won and celebrated by grabbing her wrists to pull her hands away from him, lining up at her entrance before he suddenly froze with a heaving breath.

"Do I need a condom?" Castle panted and he felt Kate shake her head.

"On the pill, and I definitely need you inside," she responded as out of breath as he felt.

Their eyes met and they both grinned at each other as he slid into her, slowly as if to torture them both. He let her adjust to his size and it drove her crazy that he was not moving. Before she could complain he started pulling out only to thrust inside her again, making her gasp for air at the sudden building for her second orgasm. This was without a doubt the best sex she had ever had, and even if she was 99 percent sure it was only a one night stand for him she couldn't have wished for it to turn out another way.

"Are you close?" he asked and she could only nod as one of his hands went to work on her left breast and nipple.

His hands were magic, she was sure he could make anything happen with those hands. Her second orgasm hit her hard and, as she tightened around him, so did his first. He emptied himself in her as he kept riding out their climax. His body collapsed against hers and he breathed out a sorry as he tried to move from crushing her, only she stopped him.

"Wait," she breathed out before she kissed him lazily. "Okay, lets lay down, everything's spinning," she later agreed and he chuckled as he pulled out of her and laid down on the couch.

Kate immediately followed him down, placing her head in the crook of his neck as he put his arms around her naked body and pulled her close. None of them cared about the other being all sweaty from their recent activity, too lazy to give it a second thought.

"You know," Castle spoke, "now that I know what you taste like, I'm not letting you go. Ever."

He could see his words shocked the woman in his arms, but he didn't care. It was the truth, there was _no way in hell_ he would ever let her go, at least not easy, because she was definitely something extraordinary. A few seconds later, once the shock had gone down, her face glowed with a smile on her lips and she moved to be able to put her lips on his, kissing him with a slow passion.

"I actually like that idea, best one you've had yet," she teased against his lips.

His lips pulled up in a genuine smile, hearing in her voice that even if she was teasing she meant it.

"Yeah? How about we take this into your bedroom, I'm dying to see what kind of stuff you treasure," he kissed her again, making her body feel numb.

"Then how about we have a round two before I let you near any of my stuff?" her teasing were definitely gonna be the death of him.

"And _that_ is the best idea _you'_ ve had so far," he teased back and started raising from the couch, pulling her with him.

She giggled and oh how he wanted to hear that sound for the rest of his life, no matter how they met. Besides it could be a good story to tell in the future, how they were just two strangers who met at the most mysterious holiday there is, Halloween.

 _The End._


	10. Chapter 10 - I accept part 3

_Here's a third part of "I accept", hope you enjoy it!_

* * *

"Hey there you... are."

Kate felt a small satisfaction grow in her as her cheeks turned hot and she put the robe over one of the loungers. As soon as she turned towards the pool, where Castle was, she did absolutely not regret deciding on the bikini because his look was priceless.

"What do you think?" she couldn't help but swing her arms out and twirl around for him to see her whole body, but she wasn't really sure where her confidence came from.

When she was turned to him again she saw his eyes staring at her in shock. She felt as though she was blushing with her whole body, which was a feeling she'd never felt before, not even the first time she had been naked with Demming or her past boyfriends. But then again, Castle _was not_ like Demming or her past boyfriends, he was different. They hadn't thrown themselves into dating or anything like it when they first met, they had learnt to trust each other way before this. Before she decided to admit to having feelings deeper than their 'professional partnership', if that's what you can call it.

"Beautiful," Castle mumbled, not really aware of what thought his mouth was voicing.

It wasn't until she heard her ask "what?" that he bit his lip and shook his head to gather his thoughts.

"You look good," he cleared his throat before quickly adding, "you coming or not?"

Kate was almost positive she'd heard him mumble the word 'beautiful' but was so caught of guard by it that she became insecure.

"Yeah, coming," she said walking to the edge of the pool.

He was in the middle of the pool and she felt an eagerness to get to him that she would most definitely deny if someone ever said it out loud. Kate carefully put one foot in front of the other as she let the water slowly surround her legs, her hips, her belly and lastly her chest. Castle was observing her from the middle, not sure if he should stay, swim towards her or swim to the opposite side of the pool, he was not sure if she wanted him near her in that bikini. Sure, they'd been close to a kiss before, but he didn't want to risk overstepping and loosing her. No way in hell would he move too fast, not now, not ever. Kate took a deep breath before she dove under the water, swimming towards her partner, enjoying being engulfed by the pool and its water. It was peaceful down there, and she opened her eyes under the water, just like she always did when she was a kid, to be able to see how close she was to him so that she wouldn't swim right into his body. To Castle's big surprise she broke the surface of the water only a few feet away from him, close enough for him to be able to put his arms around her, and it was a big challenge not to. There was nothing he wanted more than to take her into his arms but still he didn't want to push her away. She wiped her face from the water before she splashed some water on him, knowing he wouldn't suspect a thing, and she burst out laughing when he quickly ducked away, raising his hands in defense.

"You think that's funny?!" he shouted with a big hint of a chuckle deep in his throat.

"Yep!" she laughed before she dove under the water to shield herself from the water he tried to splash back at her.

She was about to swim away from him when she felt his arms surround her and he pulled her above the water, keeping her close to his body.

"You're gonna regret that," he stated and she shook her head.

"Really? And what will you do about it?" she questioned and let go of a shriek when he threw himself backwards into the water, pulling her with him down under.

Kate immediately struggled to get free from his arms and after a few seconds he let her go, afraid she might not have had the oxygen she needed to be able to stay under longer. The second she was above water she spit out the water she got in her mouth and took a deep heaving breath. She turned towards where he got up and splashed some water onto him.

"What the hell Castle!" she shouted with fake anger and his eyes looked at her, suddenly filled with fright.

"I-uh-I," he didn't know what to say, so he stumbled on his words and she couldn't help but find him adorable.

Without much thought she closed the distance between them and put her lips on his, holding his lips with hers enough for it to be considered a kiss and not just a simple peck. When she realized what she was doing she pulled away as fast as a lightning would struck a tree in the middle of an open field. Their eyes met, both mirroring the exact same amount of shock, not really sure as to what had just happened. Kate suddenly felt _really_ exposed, and that wasn't because she was in a bikini, no, it was because suddenly she had put herself out there, _them_ out there. Suddenly that last line was about to get crossed over and she hadn't even thought twice this time, it just happened. Not like in the kitchen, then at least she'd taken her time, even if she hadn't been able to stop herself then either it felt weird how fast she had moved towards the line, eager to cross it, to get it over with. She bit her lip, feeling anxious and nervous about what would happen next. Castle's mouth opened and it took quite a few seconds before he actually got anything out.

"Maybe I should pretend to drown you more often."

Kate knew that voice, he was trying to joke to hide the fact that he had no idea what to say, or maybe even it was to protect himself from showing too much emotion. His eyes told her he wanted something but she couldn't figure out what it was, and she cut their eye contact by looking down into the water. Her fingers fiddled around under the water, hands moving back and forth, trying to think about anything else but how much she missed the feeling of his lips on hers. It was like she could still feel the ghost of them and she kept biting her lower lip to try and get it to stop, she felt exposed enough and the blush set on her cheeks didn't help one bit either.

"Kate?" his voice was soft, careful, and there was a hint of fear in it.

Castle wanted to kiss the woman in front of him, wanted to feel her lips on his again, but seeing her pretty much crawl inside her shell again scared him. It gave him a feeling that said she might regret the kiss, that she regretted accepting his offer to come here. What if she did? _What if_ she regretted coming with him to spend a whole weekend at his beach house with only him and her? It took a few seconds before he heard her take a deep breath and look up at him, meeting his gaze, and there he saw it. It wasn't a sign of regret, but a sign of determination.

"Rick, I'm not the easiest person to get to know," she said and he held up his hand to stop her.

"I know, you already told me," he said but she shook her head.

"Yeah but I need you to know that... I want to let you in, believe me I do, but I'm not sure I can. I haven't... I haven't been able to let people in completely after my mom's death. I swore to never let myself that vulnerable again, to never be able to feel that pain again."

Her voice quivered, and she had a hard time focusing on one point so her eyes kept flicking between his ocean blues. Castle saw the insecurity and wondered how she was able hide that under normal circumstances, how was this woman not breaking apart when it looked like she was carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders? Kate observed him as he looked down in the water and slowly he closed the distance between them, carefully and gently putting his hands on her hips before he opened his mouth.

"Kate, I'm not going anywhere. Not unless you really want me to, and you don't need to let me in all at once, we'll take it one step at a time, just like with the rest of our relationship," he reasoned and she couldn't understand how she had ever thought of him as an egotistical jackass.

Though he had been, right? In the beginning? Now he had changed, become a better man, a gentleman.

"Since when did you become so sweet?" she questioned and he narrowed his eyes.

"I've always been sweet," he insisted before he smiled and let his eyes wander to her lips.

The giggle that escaped her mouth took her by surprise, and by the look of his eyes it surprised him as well. His hands still on her hips they continued to just stare in each other's eyes, it felt like they stood there forever without saying a word, both comfortable in the silence because even if they weren't talking out loud their eyes had a conversation of their own. Eyes which told each other how much the other meant to them, how deep their relationship had gone. It was Castle who decided to interrupt the silence and his eyes told her he was nervous of the question he was asking.

"One step at a time, so... does the step we're at involve kissing?" he blushed at his question, feeling shy.

The smile growing on her lips sent further warmth to his cheeks, deepening the blush he already had. Instead of answering his question verbally she put her arms around his neck and stood on her toes to be able to let their lips touch in a soft kiss. Once they pulled away she couldn't stop the laugh coming up her throat because he had the goofiest expression she had ever seen on his face. Castle's eyes glowed with happiness and a small hint of teasing, before she could react he had let her go and splashed water on her again.

"Really?" she laughed and a whole water war broke out between them.

She took off underwater and created some space between them to be able to splash water on him without the risk of getting water splashed back. It didn't take long before they were both exhausted and Kate was, surprisingly, the one to give up first, saying she'd give him the victory if he promised to make her lunch. It was a deal she knew he couldn't resist, because when would he ever truly win over her in battles? They shook hands and interlocked their fingers as they got up from the pool, making their way towards the towels and then the house. Castle told her she could go change into clothes if she wanted to while he was making lunch. Soon he found himself alone in his kitchen with the idea that he would make her a great sandwich with ham, cheese, sallad and slices of tomatoes and cucumber, he would also add a sauce, the recipe being one of the many things he had come up with himself. The sauce being one of those that his mother and Alexis actually agreed with him being good, which was why he felt confident the detective would enjoy it as well.

"What are you making?" her voice startled him into a jump before he turned around and found her trying to suppress her laughter.

"Shut up," he mumbled before he served the sandwiches he's made.

She gave him a smile before she sat down at the counted and dug into the food. Kate complimented him on the sauce, at first not believing him when he said it was his own recipe but after some convincing she withdrew. After they'd eaten they Castle suggested they could take a walk on the beach, just looking at the water and Kate agreed. While he went upstairs to change into something other than his swimming trunks she looked around house. Kate couldn't help but wonder what stories that laid behind all the pictures in the place. She found pictures of Alexis as a kid and Martha was in some of them too, there were also a lot of pictures of a young single dad who seemed to do anything to keep his kid happy. Kate couldn't stop but find him adorable, and handsome, and fetched her phone to be able to snatch a few pictures. She found one picture in specific which she set as his contact picture. It was a photo of him with a huge grin on his face, looking straight at the camera, the picture wasn't really the best one taken but she figure it was one of the first pictures Alexis had managed to take without any help because in the eyes of the writer she could only see pride and love. When she heard footsteps she quickly dropped her hand with her phone still in it, making sure she got out of the camera so he wouldn't be able to even suspect what she had been doing. Not a chance she would let him know, ever, that she technically stole pictures of him from before they met. On the contrary she had nothing against him seeing her looking at the pictures, that actually only made it feel more real, getting a glimpse as to what his life was like before they met.

Walking down the stairs Castle had figured he'd find Kate still in the kitchen or sitting in the couch, waiting for him, so imagine his surprised expression when he found her walking around his living room. At first he couldn't really see what she was doing but the closer he got the clearer the picture was as to what she was doing, she was looking at his pictures. She must've heard him because he could see her body had tensed when he came into the room, and as he got closer she slowly relaxed every muscle in her beautiful body. Castle couldn't help himself but to run his hands down her naked arms, grateful she had decided on wearing an armless top, and he could sense the shiver his fingertips sent down her spine. Slowly his fingers found hers and she was the one to lock their fingers together, raising his hands to put them around her.

A fear closed in her gut but it was kept small thanks to how _right_ everything felt. It felt as if they were _supposed_ to stand in this position, as if it was the most _natural_ thing in the world for them. When they had stood there for a few silent minutes she carefully turned in his arms, careful as to not push him away, and as soon as they stood face to face she stepped on her toes to seal their lips. It should be an unfamiliar feeling but somehow it felt as if they had done this for _years_ , as if this was a natural move they'd practiced on for forever. They pulled away at the same time, both needing the fresh air because somehow it felt as thought their breath was taken away from them every time they were so close. Yet they couldn't help but stay close enough to breath in the same air, both enjoying the feeling of the other's breath panting against their skin.

"So, the beach?" Kate panted out her question.

"Yeah," Castle panted out, just equally as out of breath as the woman before him.

Before any of them could even start to move away Kate attacked his lips again, this time she went more forceful, a fire in her had started and she wasn't sure how she was supposed to put it out. She tried to find strength to pull away from him but she had a feeling the reason it was so hard was because of all the tension they had built up, unintentionally. To her benefit he could feel her struggles and decided to, instead of giving in to his own fire, end their kiss by slowing it down before he pulled away from her. He grabbed her hands on his way and tugged her with him as he set their steps towards the backdoor. Kate could feel the blush on her cheeks were the worst one she'd ever had in front of him, thinking it was so embarrassing to be so exposed to him, knowing that _he_ knew she was blushing because of the evident fire in her body.

"Thanks," she whispered as they got outside and walked beside each other.

The fire inside her was starting to calm down, and she was grateful he had given her the opportunity to get it there. He could've just as easily given into it and taken it to the next level even though they had agreed to taking it slow. She was kind of mad at herself for not being able to keep it down. Castle stopped her when they came to the beginning of the beach to be able to look into her eyes with a small smile spreading on his lips.

"Always."

A warmth spread through her veins and she managed to contain herself enough to stand up and settle with a peck to his cheek, which turned his small smile into a huge grin. She intertwined their their fingers and gently pulled him with her into the sand. They walked down to the line where the water began before they turned and walked side by side with the ocean, in the beginning with a comfortable silence between them. At first none of them wanted to disturb the silence but after maybe ten to fifteen minutes Kate was almost scared for him not having said anything in that long.

"You're oddly quiet," she commented low, sneaking a glance at him by her side.

He looked like he had been in deep thought when she had voiced her question because she could see he rearranged his look as if he'd been staring at something that hadn't been there.

"Uh-yeah," he replied before he turned his gaze to her."

"How come? What are you thinking about?" she asked carefully, knowing full well that he didn't have to answer her if he didn't want to.

When he looked straight ahead again at her questions she figured she wouldn't get an answer, that he didn't want to tell her his deeper thoughts.

"I was just thinking about us, about what's to come, I have a feeling we'll have a few more obstacles to overcome before we'll find our rhythm," he said in a low voice, probably not really wanting to admit to it.

"Oh," she thought about his words, "yeah, it's probably not going to be easy."

"But if we're both willing to get through it together, I have a feeling we can get through anything," he added and she couldn't help but smile at the hope and confidence she could hear in his voice.

Kate's eyes were drawn to the water, it was sparkling and she felt she did the right thing coming here. Breaking up with Demming and going with Castle felt like the right decision, maybe not logically but her heart was definitely satisfied with it.

"I've forgotten how beautiful this is. You know, I haven't really been at a beach since the day of my mom's funeral," Kate thought out loud.

"What?" Castle's high pitched voice was filled with shock. "How can you _not_ have been to the beach in ten years?" he questioned after clearing his throat.

She shrugged her shoulders, not really sure why she brought it up but there was a part of her that felt like there were so many things she'd kept to herself and that part told her if she was to ever tell someone it would be him.

"I always found an excuse if my friends tried to bring me, it just wasn't the same after my mom died," she answered.

"But, what were you doing there on the day of her funeral then?" Castle asked, still in shock but managed to keep up with their walk anyway, probably because it was a slow rhythm.

"Me and my dad were miserable at the reception of the funeral, so we left. We went to Cooney Island and walked on the beach there," she said, leaving out the part with the small figure she and her dad had made.

He 'oh'ed and she leaned her body into his, snuggling closer with her free hand on his arm as she kept their already tangled hands intertwined.

"I'm glad I'm here with you," she admitted with a shyly smile set on her lips.

"Me too, you have no idea how much," he agreed in a smooth tone.

They spent the rest of the day at the beach, not knowing how fast the hours went by as they just talked and walked. Soon they found themselves eating dinner with candles lit everywhere, Castle really trying to impress Kate with his romantic side while Kate kept on distracting him by kissing his lips every now and then. He didn't understand that she didn't need him impressing her, because she was already impressed by all the things he had done for her in the small amount of time that she'd known him. When it got to bed time Castle got nervous, because he wasn't sure she wanted to share his bed again. Something told him that ship had already sailed, as in that she had already slept with him once so why wouldn't she do it again? But still, he was both nervous and insecure, which was something she immediately noticed. Of course she did, she was, after all, one of the best detectives in New York.

"What's wrong?" she asked him and he gulped, not really wanting to admit his worries.

He felt silly for even thinking too much about it, he should just let it go and let it go as it goes. If she wanted to sleep in the same bed as him then she would sleep in the same bed as him. And if she didn't then she wouldn't.

"It's nothing," he tried to brush it off but she could see through his charade, just like he often saw through hers.

"Come on Castle, tell me," she asked, trying not to sound too demanding.

She didn't want him to associate her with a clingy, demanding... girlfriend? But she _did_ want him to know that he could talk to her about anything, without worrying she would want him any less. Because boy had she tried to like him less for the past year, before she had finally realized only a day ago that it was an impossible task. When he still didn't look like he was going to step down she walked up to him and pressed her lips to his, trying to put as much reassurance as she could in the kiss. Pulling away he followed with to keep his forehead against hers, not wanting to loose their touch.

"Tell me," she insisted in a whisper.

She could feel his sigh on her face and waited patiently for his answer.

"I just... will you uh... are you going to stay in my room or, uh, take the guest room, now that Espo and Ryan aren't here to occupy it?" he stammered, not wanting to voice his fear but he had a feeling she wouldn't give, plus he would need to know at some point if he should prepare the guest room or if they were good.

Kate tried to look into his eyes but since he had closed them she gently put her right hand on his cheek, stroking her thumb across the corner of his lips.

"If you don't mind I'll stay in your room," she bit her lower lip as soon as she'd let out the words.

His eyes popped open and she could see a small glimpse of shock, but also excitement.

"Nothing more than sleep, no funny business though," she warned and he grinned .

"Promise," he guaranteed before putting his hands on her back to pull her closer and kiss her lips.

She giggled into his mouth, shocked to hear it herself but she always seemed to get surprised over herself when it came to what Castle could make her do and feel. As they pulled away this time they went to his bedroom to make themselves ready for bed, Kate fled to the bathroom to change into her pjs while Castle simply changed in his room in the meantime. In the bathroom Kate kept thinking about her choice, and decided she it was the right one. She wanted nothing more than to fall asleep in his arms, and to stay that way until the morning. Which reminded her, she'd have to leave the next day, back to the city, and she felt a sorrow fill her body. They'd just gotten here and she'd be gone again in less than 24 hours. She let him into the bathroom so they could brush their teeth together, not seeing as to why they wouldn't be able to share the room for that. She found him staring at her through the mirror and felt a blush on her cheeks, and forced out at "what?" between her toothpaste-filled teeth.

"Nothing," Castle shook his head but had one of those adorable looking smiles plastered on his lips.

He couldn't help but observe her, but really who could blame him? She was beautiful, and knowing she was here with him made her even more beautiful in his eyes. He couldn't believe the fact that she was letting him in, he never thought this would happen. Before they knew it they found themselves in his bed again and Castle was scared since he had no idea how Kate wanted this to play out. He didn't know if she would want him to keep his arms around her or if they should stay on 'their' sides of the bed. Sure, they'd woken up together that morning but that didn't mean she really had wanted that. So, instead of just laying plain on his back he turned to his side, facing her, and decided he'd let her take the next step if she wanted to.

Kate felt when he turned in the bed and moved her head so their eyes met. She could see the many questions he held back in his deep blue, and somehow she knew he held back because of her walls. The fact that he didn't want to push her in any way made her fall even more in love with him. Because she _knew_ , deep down, that that was what is was. She was _falling in love_ with him. There was no other explanation to the feelings she had towards him which she had never ever felt before. Kate let her hand wander to his and carefully moved it as she snuggled her body closer to his. When she was close enough she turned and put his hand around her, and that's when he understood she wanted them to spoon. Once he got that he pulled her closer and she could feel his nose in her hair, taking a deep breath.

"How do you smell like cherries? Shampoo? Soap?" he mumbled close to her ear, taking another breath.

She couldn't help but giggle before she answered it was the scent she used on all her products, especially since he had mentioned it months ago.

"Oh, so you're just driving me crazy with it now?" he questioned with a fake upset tone.

"Yes," she teased turning her head to be able to give him a small smirk.

Her smirk made his heart wrench and couldn't help but nip at her ear with a teasing growl rumbling his throat and she chuckled snuggling closer to him. At that they hugged closer and fell silent, enjoying each other's company. Castle closed his eyes and took another deep breath to smell her hair, smell her. He couldn't believe he was actually sleeping with Kate Beckett, _the Kate Beckett_ he had been shadowing for a little more than a year and had practically fell for the same instance she flashed her badge in front of him. His breath slowed down, deeper and deeper breaths as sleep crept over his body. Before he could give into it, though, he felt her squirm and he heard that sound of her lips parting.

"Are you going back?" Kate carefully asked in a whisper.

"What?" he stumbled awake, trying to understand what she was talking about.

"Will you come back with me? To the city I mean," she whispered, still in a careful tone.

The silence and the comfort of being in his arms made her once again think about the fact that, in less than 24 hours, she wouldn't be in that bed with him. She already hated the thought of leaving, especially if he was going to stay in his Hamptons house the whole summer. That's why she voiced it, but she was also afraid of his answer. What if he chose to stay? What if he chose not to come with her?

"What do you mean?" he mumbled and she felt him rise onto his elbow to be able to look at her.

She sucked her lower lip into her mouth to tug on it with her teeth before she laid onto her back to meet his eyes.

"Are you saying you want me to... uh..." she saw him rubbing his eyes to be able to wake up, "you're asking me to come with you?"

"Yeah, I-uh-I don't think I can..."she closed her eyes to gather courage, "I don't want to not see you for the whole summer," she confessed with her eyes still closed.

Castle was surprised to hear her confession, but couldn't help but feel happier. She didn't want to leave without him. _She didn't want to leave without him_.

"Kate, look," his hand landed gently on her cheek, and she opened her eyes to look at him, "I was only leaving for the summer because I couldn't stand seeing you with someone else anymore. But if you want me to stay as your partner," he paused to look deep into her hazel green eyes, "there's nothing I would want more than to go back with you."

A sparkle was spotted in her eyes as her lips pulled up in a smile and he mirrored it as he leant down and put his lips over hers, kissing her with the love he knew he couldn't tell her about. Yet. But there would be one day soon when he could. They both knew it would be hard, and that they would have many obstacles. Though, they also knew that no matter how hard those would be, they would find their way back together because a love like theirs could only be what they've read about. True love.

* * *

 _The End_


	11. Chapter 11-A friend of a friend's friend

_Prompt: A has to take B, the drunk friend of a friend, home safely and it proves to be a really hard task._

* * *

 _"So you promise you won't leave her alone?" the woman, Lanie, asked pointing her finger at him._

 _"Yes, I promise, how much trouble can she be?" Castle teased as he looked at the brunette downing another shot._

Hours later, after constantly having to pull Kate, the beautiful brunette, away from the dance floor where she kept dancing with random guys, he could finally relax. Drinking his scotch he eyed the woman who had her head on the bar table, half-asleep. God, had she been _a lot_ more trouble than he'd thought when her best friend first asked him to babysit her.

"She out?" the bartender asked him as she passed.

"Yeah, finally," Castle replied, taking another sip, and the bartender laughed before she moved along to her other costumers.

He downed the last of his scotch and raised from the chair, turning towards Kate. He carefully tugged her shoulder, trying to wake her up because even if he enjoyed the silence he knew he should be getting her home into her own bed before anything else happened.

"Time to go home sleepyhead," he whispered in her ear, feeling a tingle in his body from being so close to her.

She stirred awake almost immediately, not necessary for him to say anything more than he already had, but when she lifted her head she also immediately shook it in response.

"Come on, lets get you home," Castle tried making her stand but to his surprise she stood her ground on that chair.

"No, I'm not going home," she refused.

"Yes, you are, it's way past midnight now," he tried to reason, even though he knew she was nowhere sober with all that alcohol still in her system.

"No, 'm not," she slurred, shaking her head.

He sighed heavily, he had prayed she'd go silently, but of course she wouldn't. Suddenly he wondered, was this the reason Lanie had decided to leave her with him? Or was it simply because she had hit it off with Espo, who he'd been dragged here by, and felt the need to leave and be alone with him?

"Why? It's not like you're awake enough to continue party anyway," Castle stated, a bit irritated with her.

"'mnot," she mumbled, managing to slur the words together, making them sound like one.

Her answer didn't make any sense, and he glanced over to the bartender who immediately came to his rescue.

"Excuse me, we're closing up so you need to leave," the bartender said low, but only to make sure Kate and Castle were the only ones hearing her announcing the fake-closing.

Kate looked at the bartender all horrified and if it hadn't been for the long night with watching guys doing inappropriate things to a drunk girl, who just happened to be a friend of a friend's friend, he would've found the expression kind of adorable. Castle gave the bartender a thankful nod before he took a grip on Kate's arm, pulling her up from the chair with ease, probably since she didn't resist this time. He was both surprised and glad that she wasn't struggling anymore but of course he thought that too soon. The second they came out she was on her way towards another bar across the street.

"Oh no!" Castle exclaimed grabbing her arm, perhaps a little harder than he should have.

"Let go," Kate mumbled, trying to get out of his grip.

To his relief she was at least not screaming, because _that_ would've complicated things, the last thing he needed was for people to think he was taking advantage of her.

"No, Kate, you need to get home," he tried to reason with her again, "we've been out all night and you almost fell asleep on the table, we need to get you home and into your bed."

"No," she answered again.

She tried walk towards the other bar but he still held onto her arm.

"Not going hooome," Kate insisted and he sighed loudly.

"Why? Why don't you wanna go home?" Castle groaned at the woman.

 _Why_ did he agree to this? _WHY?!_

"Sad."

"What?"

Her word shocked him. His mind rushed its thoughts. Her body stopped struggling and as her head turned down he could sense a sorrow radiate from her, right before she shook her head and looked towards the bar again. She tried to tug her arm away from his grip but this time it wasn't as struggling as she'd been before. His mind worked faster and harder than it had done for a long time. So she didn't want to go home, but she couldn't continue to go around this drunk, something could happen. An idea popped into his head and he bit his lip as he decided it was at least worth a shot.

"Okay, let's not get you home to you, but let me at least get you home to me," he suggested and when she whipped her head to face him.

"Your home?" she questioned before she shrugged off his arm. "No, not home," she added and before he could grab a hold of her arm again she half ran to the bar across the street.

Castle could not believe this was happening. He quickly followed her, because even if he considered just leaving the trouble she was, he knew her best friend would kill him unless he took care of her.

"Wait!" he called after her but she was already opening the door and walking into the bar.

Castle could do nothing but watch for another few hours how Kate poured drink after drink. Suddenly he found himself getting a bad feeling when a man drew closer to her dancing figure. His body tensed and the second he saw the man grabbing her hips, starting to grind against her, he jumped out of his seat to run to her. She might not be resisting the man but Castle knew she was way too drunk to know what she was doing. Castle took a grip on the man's shoulder and pushed him away from Kate, who simply continued dancing as if nothing had happened.

"Get lost," Castle said to the man who, at first, looked like he was going to fight him but after Castle stared at him with a deadly look he back down and walked to one of the other girls on the dance floor.

Castle felt disgusted. He understood why most women didn't trust men easily, some men were just pigs. Grunting at the thought he turned towards the woman he'd just saved from another guy trying to take advantage of her drunken state.

"Come on Kate, lets go home, please," he begged but she just laughed and to his biggest surprise yet she put her arms around his neck and crashed her lips on his.

As sudden as she had claimed his lips she was pulling back with a hazy gaze in her eyes. Castle felt her body start to move against his and he immediately put his hands on her hips to push her away.

"Okay, seriously, you need to get home," he stated firmly.

She pouted her lips and tried to roll her hips in his arms but he held her strongly.

"One last drink?" she requested and he groaned, having a feeling she would be as persistent as she'd been the whole night.

"Fine, but then we're heading home," he said in a determined tone.

Somehow she managed to go to the bar without falling and Castle was amazed how this woman was still standing. She must have a higher tolerance for alcohol than everyone else he had ever met and partied with. He sat beside her as she ordered the drink and he noticed the bartender gave him a worried look before serving the drunk brunette. To Castle's surprise Kate didn't get to do much more than take a sip on her drink before she slowly put her head in her arms, on the table, and started snoozing off. He sighed and tugged on her shoulder.

"Kate, we should go."

But he didn't get a response, at least no conscious one. She moved a little bit that was sleep related, and he put his head in his hands before wiping his face. Deciding he couldn't just put her in a taxi home or something like that he stood up, paid the bartender who gave him a sentimental smile and put his arms around the dozing brunette. He was surprised to find she wasn't that heavy, not that he had thought so but she was definitely lighter than he'd thought. He carried her bridal style as he walked out of the bar, her one arm automatically found its way around his shoulder as the other got planted at his chest, scrunching his shirt in her hand. Out in the free air he remembered he had no idea where she lived.

"Fuck," he cursed in a whisper, not wanting to wake her now that he finally had some peace.

It probably wouldn't have been so hard finding out where she lived, if only he hadn't had to carry her and therefore couldn't take out his phone, but he knew there was no other option. His steps were set towards his loft, which thankfully weren't that far away from where they were. The sleeping brunette would probably give him hell for it tomorrow but he decided it was the best he could do given the circumstances. It took about half an hour before Castle arrived at his loft door with Kate still sleeping in his arms, and as carefully as he possibly could he tried unlocking the door without waking her up. He stiffened when he heard her mumble something incoherent but as he looked down at her he saw it was only sleep-talk, she was still asleep.

"Thank god," Castle breathed out and carefully closed the door with his foot behind them.

Suddenly he remembered the guest room was nowhere good enough for a guest. There were boxes everywhere due to his mother recently moving in and taking all her stuff with her.

"Damn it," he cursed and walked towards his bedroom.

She was so going to kill him in the morning, though he figured he'd just sleep on the couch he had a feeling she would assume things the second she woke up. As he gently put her down in his bed he felt her body start to turn and before he managed to let her go completely he saw her eyes flicker open.

"Not home," she immediately said with a small panic in her voice as she sat straight and looked around.

"No, this is my home, you'll be sleeping here tonight because I don't know where you live," he quickly tried to defend himself, thinking she would already freak out.

To his surprise she just nodded and fell back into the bed, a smile plastering onto her face? Was she smiling? Because she wasn't at home? Because she was at a stranger's house? Sure, he was a friend of a friend's friend, but he couldn't help but wonder what was going on. Or perhaps it was just because she was still drunk. Yeah, he figured that must be it, she was too drunk to understand what was happening. Looking down at her sleeping face he couldn't help but find her adorable, she looked so peaceful... and beautiful. He shook his head in order to collect his thoughts before he put the covers around her curled up body. Taking one of his pillows with him he turned off the lights and walked out to his living room. He threw the pillow on the couch and went to get a blanket from the guest room, where he of course tripped over the boxes but to his relief he never fell. He swore he would kill his mother if she didn't unpack these soon, or at least found them another home. His phone vibrated suddenly and when he looked at it he saw a text from his daughter. Opening the message he saw a picture of her and his mother with the Eiffel Tower in the background. He grinned at the photo and then read her text.

 _"We miss you dad! But don't worry, me and gram will have plenty of fun for you too! xx Alexis"_

He couldn't help but chuckle at that, it sounded like the things he would promise her when his book tours took him someplace she wanted to visit in the middle of the school year. Many time he'd try convince her to skip school but of course she had turned more mature than he ever was. He quickly texted back that he missed them too and wished them a great week. As soon as he had put down the phone he found the blanket he'd been searching for and decided it would be best to go directly to sleep. To his surprise it only took him a second before sleep overtook his body when his head reached the pillow on the couch.

Castle awoke to soft cries and he immediately sat up straight to try and locate the sound. It took him only a nano-second to conclude that it wasn't his daughter and another nano-second to remember the drunken guest he brought home. With no idea if she would really want help he still rose from the couch and went with quick steps towards his bedroom. He found her sitting on the floor in front of the toilet in his bathroom, her hands tried to keep away her hair as she threw up. Oh, so that's why he couldn't quite place the sound, they were indeed cries, though not as in crying. Castle quickly but still carefully, not wanting to scare her, walked up to her and took her hair in his hands to hold it back. He felt her body twitch in a startle but to his relief she didn't pull away. Once she had thrown up enough for this time she spit in the toilet to get rid of the taste before she flushed and looked back at him with an expression telling him how ashamed she felt. She slipped away from him to lean her back towards his bathtub.

" 'M sorry," she slurred in a mumble.

He hushed her, sitting down beside her to keep her company. There was no chance in hell he would leave her alone, those eyes had so much pain in them and all he wanted to do was help her. Now that he could see her face better he could see she had wet tears in a trail on both her cheeks, apparently she had been crying. Still was.

"Heeey, it's okay, don't worry, everything's gonna be okay," he hushed, not sure if it would be appropriate for him to put an arm around her shoulders.

After a few seconds of hesitation he did though, he put an arm around her to gently pull her into a side-hug. Surprisingly she crept into his chest and accepted the comfort it gave her. Castle couldn't help but kiss the top of her hair and he gently stroke her arm to try and make her feel safe. They didn't say anything for quite a while, well, Castle did chant "it's okay" over and over a little now and then but other than that they were quiet. It went so far that Castle imagined she had probably fallen asleep again, but when he carefully turned a bit to be able to look at her face he saw her eyes were slightly open, as if she was deep in thought and didn't really need her sight to see what she was seeing in her head.

"How are you feeling?" Castle carefully whispered and she first jumped at the sound of his voice in the silent room but then shook her head to collect her thoughts.

"Good, I'm fine," was what she gave him.

He wasn't so sure he should believe that, her tone indicated she didn't really mean it, but then again was it really his business? The only reason she was there, with him, was because her best friend had made sure she wouldn't end up in some _stranger_ 's bed, naked and filled with regret.

"Do you think you're ready to go back to bed?" he decided not to pry, it was best she learnt to trust him first.

She nodded against his shoulder and he helped her as they both stood up. Her legs were shaking and so he offered to carry her, like he'd done earlier, but she declined, saying she was full capable of walking on her own. Only it didn't take more than two steps to prove her wrong, before she could fall his hands were there to catch her. After that she let him at least help her without any arguments. As they got to the bed he helped her lay down before he turned to walk away, figuring she'd want nothing more to do with him, but as he turned to take the first step away from her he heard the sound of her voice.

"Wait," was all she said and he stopped in his tracks to look down at her.

Her eyes were still wet from the cries and he could see she was struggling to keep them from filling with tears again. Without hesitation he opened his mouth and asked,

"What do you need?"

Even though his voice clearly showed he wasn't hesitating, he could see she was filled with it. Hesitation.

"I-uh... could... could you stay? I mean, I know we don't know each other but..." she didn't get to finish her sentence until he cut her off.

"Of course! I'll just grab my blanket and sit in the chair," he pointed towards the chair standing in one of the corners in the room but as the words seemed to sink in she started shaking her head.

"Is it... is it weird if I ask you to lay with me?" she asked and he wondered if she was still a little drunk or what else could bring her to actually ask him, a pretty much stranger to her, to sleep in the same bed as her.

"Well, maybe, but if it helps you I'm happy to do it," he shrugged his shoulders and smiled small at her, trying to give her comfort.

He felt relief to see her lips carefully move upwards before he rounded the bed to be able to lay down in the other side of the bed. Only a few minutes after he settled in the bed, without bothering trying to reach for the cover wanting to give her some space, her body turned towards him and warily moved the cover to offer it to him. He didn't accept but didn't decline either, which to his surprise resulted in her simply putting the cover over him. Thanks to the way he couldn't help but observe her face, to try and see what she was thinking, he could see a small blush set on her cheeks as she laid back and met his eyes.

"Sorry," she mumbled, closed her eyes and fell asleep almost in an instant.

"Don't you worry about it," he breathed, not wanting to wake the brunette.

Watching her falling asleep was strangely satisfying, especially since the sight of her throwing up and crying had been quite worrying. Why was he feeling this way? She was a stranger for god's sake?! Well, technically she was the best friend of his friend's girlfriend. A string of hair fell down in her face and his hand automatically travelled to put it behind her ear. Once he realized what he was doing his hand flew back as if he had been burned. What was it about her that kept... drawing him in? Something about the way her body was raising along with her breathing were hypnotizing. God she was beautiful. Castle tensed when Kate suddenly snuggled closer to him, her body sinking into his. He found himself lulled to sleep with her body breathing so peacefully and close to him. Somehow he knew this was a night he would remember forever. Hopefully, despite her drunken state, she would too.

* * *

 _The End_


	12. Chapter 12 - Can't lie

_Prompt: What if Castle told Beckett about Smith from the start?_

* * *

The second he saw her that morning after the phone call, Rick Castle knew he couldn't do it. His mother was right, he couldn't keep it from her. Even if it meant Kate Beckett would run right into the fire, like a moth to the flame, at least he would do his best to try and convince her to drop it. If just for now, maybe they could figure this whole thing out later. Together. Castle took a deep breath and walked up to her desk, reaching out the coffee he had in hand. Their eyes met and a small smile threatened to appear on her lips.

"Thanks," Kate said gently.

He sat down in his chair and as she took a sip on her coffee she glanced at him, quickly noticing his eyes had left her. There was something on his mind, that was clear to her, the way he seemed to struggle to find words was not something he didn't do unless it was something really important. Before putting down the cup she took another sip to be able to turn all her attention to him. She was starting to get worried when he not immediately felt her gaze but continued to look wherever he was looking.

"Castle?" she asked and his eyes snapped to hers for enough seconds for her to see fear. "What's wrong?" she then quickly added.

He shook his head, and she felt a lump in her throat.

"I need to tell you something, but I... I don't know _how_ ," he said and if she hadn't known him so well she hadn't heard the small scared tone he tried to hide deep in his voice.

A wave of different thoughts started running around her mind. What if he was going to tell her he loved her again? She'd told him she didn't remember, but it was because she wasn't ready, she wasn't whole enough to think about that yet. She thought he'd understood by the swings the day earlier, understood that she wanted him to wait for her, that she felt the same way but that she needed time to come to terms with it.

"Wha-... about?" she couldn't stop her voice from sounding weak.

She was scared, at least as scared as him, probably more but she had a feeling he could see that, just like she could see the fear that was in his eyes.

"Your mother's case," he said and she almost let out a sigh of relief.

Almost. Before she could she managed to retain it.

"What about it?" she asked, suddenly eager to know if he'd gotten a break in the case.

"You-uh, I need you to promise me something, before I tell you, and I need you to keep that promise," Castle decided he would do his best to keep her safe.

Kate suddenly got a chilling cramp in her body, what was he talking about?

"Castle, if it's about last night I'm... I'm fine," she said and he shook his head.

"No, you're not. And you _know_ you're not," he commented.

Kate felt panic rise inside of her. Why did he know her so well? Why had she allowed him to observe her and be able to tell when she was lying? Why did he notice the things she tried to ignore and push away? Gulping she gave up on trying to fool him, and herself, but instead focused on keeping herself from breaking apart for a second time in less than 24 hours.

"But that's not what I'm talking about," he said and she felt her rising heart calm down again.

Then what the hell _was_ he talking about?! She gave him a warning look, as in telling him to start talking or else.

"Okay, I need you to promise me you won't do anything reckless, that you'll... that you'll let it be for now, that you won't let your feelings cloud your judgement," he quickly said, trying to rush it through but still make sense.

"Castle," she said in a warning tone, fearing whatever he had to say because it was apparent how much it feared him.

"Please, just promise and keep it," he was _pleading_.

Kate was taken back by what he was saying. What could be so intimidating that he wanted, no _needed_ , her to promise not doing anything without thinking first? And why did she feel a cripple of fear going down her spine?

"I...I promise," she said after a few more minutes.

Castle bit his lip and looked around? Figuring this wasn't the place for this conversation, because no matter her promise he knew she wouldn't react easy on this. He knew she would try get out of there first thing she could to track down this man he'd spoken with on the phone. After glancing towards Gates' office and seeing the captain was busy with whatever paperwork she was doing he stood up and nodded towards the break room for Kate to understand to follow him. It didn't take long before he felt her presence right behind him and as soon as they were inside the break room he closed the doors, making sure no one was going to be able to tell what they were talking about.

"I think you should sit down for this," Castle mentioned, not meeting her searching eyes.

She said his name warningly again, if he wasn't going to start talking soon she was going to shoot him, but sat down in the couch. She expected him to follow, sit beside her but when she looked at him he was pacing back and forth in front of her with shaking hands and a look which told her he was trying to get himself together.

"Last night I got a phone call," he started but continued pacing.

Kate wrinkled her forehead in confusion, what did a phone call have with her mother's case to do?

"The man, on the phone, told me he was a friend of Montgomery's, said he owed him a favor," Castle took a pause to glance at the woman in front of him. "He told me Montgomery sent him a file containing evidence against the person behind all this, that he made a deal with them. He didn't get the file until after your shooting but made sure their deal involved them not coming after you again..."

Kate's eyes were wide and he could see she was trying to process all this new information. Castle decided to wait her out, let her have a couple of minutes where she could think about what he'd just told her without peppering her with more information than she could handle.

"Wh-why would he call you?" she suddenly questioned.

This was the part that he believed might have her murdering him.

"Because in order for them to leave you alone you need to stop investigating, and that's why the man called me, he thought I was the only one to be able to stop you," Castle explained carefully, scared of how the detective would react.

He wanted, so badly, to sit down beside her and make sure he could put his arms around her if she needed him to, but he didn't dare. Still standing he watched her as her eyes told him her heart was shattering. There was an uncertainty in her eyes, as if there was one thing she wasn't quite sure of.

"Wh..." her voice died before she could even sound her question.

Castle gave an asking nod towards the spot beside her on the couch, a nod which she returned as she moved a bit to put some space between them once he sat down. He made sure there was space between them, not sure of how close she would stand to be to him. The silence consumed them, Kate was staring right in front of her without really focusing on anything and Castle watched her with agony growing inside him. After several minutes he couldn't take it anymore.

"Please say something," he whispered in a plea.

Kate jumped a bit, startled at his voice in the storm of her thoughts. He mumbled a sorry and she looked at him, trying to find her own voice in order to meet his request.

"Where... where you gonna go through with it?" her voice was trembling, more than he liked.

Kate watched as his eyes darted for the floor and she knew the answer without him telling her. She bit her lip to try keep the tears from escaping her eyes.

"What stopped you?" she asked low.

Castle thought about her question, not really sure why.

"When I saw you this morning I just knew I couldn't keep it from you, it felt like if I did it would be the end of our relationship before it even started..." his eyes widened as he realized what he just said. "I mean not that we-uh-I..." he let his voice die out because he had no idea how to continue.

Kate felt her heart skip a beat at that before a warmth spread in her veins. After letting out a sigh she felt herself turn into the detective she was.

"What's the number? Maybe we can trace it and find out..."

"No. Kate," Castle cut her off. "First of all it was an unknown number, second you promised not to dive into this only a few minutes ago. Please, I can't... you can't throw your life away."

Anger raise inside her but the second she saw the look on Castle's face the anger disappeared. He looked so frightened, and she had no idea why he would be afraid. It wasn't like she was going to ask him to follow her into the rabbit hole, she just wanted the name of the guy calling him so she could go after the man herself. Maybe she would be able to get that file and finally nail the son of a bitch who ordered the murder of her mother and the shooting of her own.

"Castle, I need to find answers," she said and he shook his head.

"I know but not now," he agreed and she gave him a look of confusion, sighing he explained. "I know you need answers, and I _want_ you to get your answers, but this man... he seemed serious. If you keep digging right now they _will_ kill you, and I can't..." he took a deep breath, "I can't loose you Kate, and we will take down these guys eventually, just... not today and not tomorrow but someday."

His look told her it was a promise, a promise that they would figure this out. And even if he didn't say it aloud his eyes told her they would do it together, that he would be there every step of the way.

"Please Kate, let this be, just for now," his voice was pleading.

It felt like her heart was about to split in half. One half wanted her to ignore the warnings and go after the caller to find justice for her mom. The other half on the other end wanted to agree with Castle, make sure none of them would be shot at again.

"Castle," she whispered with a shattering voice, "if I don't do this I don't know who I am."

To her surprised he scooted just a few inches closer to put his hand on top of her knee.

"You're who you always were. You're the one who honors the victims," he stated with truth in his tone as he looked her into her eyes, trying to show how much he meant every word.

She bit her lip and looked away, her eyes landing on his hand still clutching her knee in a comforting matter. Her mother's case had formed her, made her who she is, so how can she just let that go? It was who she was. Wasn't it? But he had a point, she did what she did because she wanted to voice the justice to those who cannot longer speak. It might have started with her mother's case not being solved, but it had turned into something more than just her mother. There were a lot of other people who needed her voice now, and even if she wasn't willing to let go of her mother completely she could imagine putting it off for now. For him. For the sake of them staying partners. For her life not to end before they could figure out her walls. She let go of a breath she hadn't known she was holding and let her hand trail towards his.

Castle was afraid she was going to pat his hand away, tell her she could not keep her promise. So imagine his surprise when her fingers found the space between his before she intertwined them together.

"Okay," she whispered and when their eyes met she saw his were wide.

"Okay?" he asked.

"I'll stop. For now," she added and he felt a smile spread on his lips.

"You serious?" he questioned, feeling a spread of warmth through his body.

"Yeah, on one condition though," she said and he got a serious expression.

"Anything."

She smiled, "stay." When he gave her a confused raise of an eyebrow she added, "stay by my side, stay my partner, stay even after this case is over."

"That sounds like more than one condition," he joked and she let go of his hand to hit him lightly on his bicep. He chuckled but gave her an honest expression as he exclaimed "always."

* * *

 _The End_


	13. Chapter 13 - Novel defense

_Prompt: AU; Beckett is buying Castle's book, then when she goes to pay for it the attendant starts saying she doesn't know what people see in his books and mean shit, Beckett goes and defends him, only to find him behind her in the end and thanking her._

* * *

"There you are," Kate Beckett whispered to herself as she grabbed the book she'd been searching for in the past ten minutes.

Apparently the local book store only had one copy left, and when she'd asked for it the attendant hadn't known where to send her, had been too busy rolling her eyes at what book she'd asked for. Kate had heard her mumbling something but she hadn't heard what, which irritated her. As Kate stood there with the newest Derrick Storm book in her hand she couldn't stop herself from open the first pages, starting to read the book before buying it, her curiosity killing her from how the last book had ended. Three pages later she closed the book and looked at her favorite author's picture at the back. Oh, how she wished she'd been able to go to the book signing he held only two days ago! Why couldn't murderers wait with their killing when there actually was something she wanted to go to? She _never_ went out and when there actually was something she was the little bit interested in going to there was _always_ a victim to find justice for! What had she done to deserve that? She was always focused on work so why couldn't she be able to have _one murder-free day_? She sighed. Maybe next time. Looking around in the store she was grateful she was one of the few there, and the only one around the mystery section. Deciding she had stood there long enough she held the book close to her chest as she approached the pay desk. She couldn't stop the eye roll at the scene of the attendant chewing gum as she spoke to someone on the phone. Getting closer she couldn't help but overhear what the attendant was saying.

"Oh my god Maggie, you know that rich ugly writer who just published a new book? That Roger Castle or something like that? Yeah, him. Someone got in today asking for his book and when I checked for it we only had _one_ copy left, can you believe that? We've actually sold 29 books of his new novel in less than a week, _a week_?! Who even reads that garbage?"

Kate couldn't believe her ears. The attendant was, apparently, not aware that the 'someone' who'd come in asking for the new book was only a couple feet away, _with_ that book clutched to her chest.

"Really?! How can it already be on the best-selling list? How bad of a taste can people have?" the attendant kept on saying and the anger bubbling inside of Kate were not to be stopped.

She was _not_ going to let a snobby ass talk about her favorite author like that.

"Excuse me?" Kate said with a fake smile, approaching the pay desk which turned the attendant's attention to her.

"Gotta go Maggie, talk to you later," she said before hanging up the phone. "Did you find what..." but she didn't get to finish her sentence before Kate interrupted.

"You know it's not the people who have bad taste when _you_ are the one of the few who doesn't like his books," Kate snapped, her fake smile disappearing.

The attendant's jaw dropped, but it didn't stop Kate.

"And _how on earth_ did you even get a job at a _book_ store when you so openly disrespect one of the best author's in this country, huh? What would your boss think if they knew how poorly you respect the words of a word smith?" she continued. "Did you ever think of that? Maybe you should find a job more suitable for you, like hmmm... lets see," Kate thought for a second, "how about a critic oh no wait, apparently you don't have the taste it takes because you wouldn't know what's good even if someone pointed at it."

Kate put the book on the desk, wanting to say more but deciding it was best for her to leave before she hit the woman. The woman looked shocked but, as if on automatic, she scanned the book and when Kate paid she could see a small hint of shame in her eyes. Before she was able to leave Kate heard the attendant open her mouth.

"Sorry," she mumbled and Kate just nodded once, sharply, before turning towards the door.

The second she was out the door she took a deep breath, closed her fist, and counted to ten. She couldn't believe she had just outright _lectured_ an attendant at a book store she loved to visit. How had she lost her self control so easily? And over a man that she didn't even know! It would've been different if it was someone she knew, then she'd have personal reasons for the outburst. But then again, it was kind of personal wasn't it? Richard Castle's words had been the ones to help her get through her mother's murder, his words were the ones to soothe some of her pain. So, it was personal, right?

"Thank you," a man's voice coming from behind had her jump and turn around in a flash. "Oops, sorry! Didn't mean to startle you."

Her jaw fell open and her eyes went wide. In front of her stood the man. _The man. The Richard Castle_. Her favorite author who she had just defended.

"I-uh," she tried to form anything to say, _anything_ , but she didn't know what.

'Hi I'm your biggest fan' would be such a weird thing to say, who could truly know they were their _biggest_ fan? Standing in front of her she realized Richard Castle was much more handsome in real life than he had been on any picture she'd seen.

"I've-eh never heard anyone defend my books like that before," he said, thumb pointing towards the store they'd just gotten out from, "well, except for my mother then," he said with a chuckle.

His chuckle spread a smile on her face and she felt her cheeks go warm. She shrugged her shoulders, not trusting her voice quite yet. Besides, what was she supposed to say anyway?

"Is there some way I can thank you? Buy you dinner perhaps?" the author's suggestion had her eyes go wide.

He wanted to go out to dinner, with _her_? She looked down at the book she still had clutched to her chest.

"You don't have to feel obligated to give me something, I just did what I had to," Kate said before looking up at him again.

She saw his eyes widen a bit, but then his eyes glimpsed with something as a smile appeared. He carefully pointed towards her book before gently taking it from her. She almost snatched it back but had a feeling she could trust he wouldn't do anything to destroy it. He opened the book and reached into his back pocket to take out a pen she hadn't known he would be carrying. She watched in silence as he wrote something and she felt her hear flutter.

"How about, you text me your address and I'll pick you up at seven?" he said handing back her book.

Before she could protest or say anything else he leaned forward to kiss her cheek, having her heart skip a beat, and he walked away leaving her breathless. Kate stood there, outside the store, frozen for at least another ten minutes before she suddenly wondered how the hell she was supposed to text him her address when she didn't have his number. Biting her lip and rolling her eyes she decided it was time for her to get home, he'd probably not meant what he said, only said it because he would've felt guilty if he didn't. He didn't owe her anything, why would he? He didn't ask for her to defend him, defend his books. Besides, why would a world famous author want to go out to dinner with a homicide detective?

When she stepped her foot inside her apartment she immediately went to her kitchen, thinking she could use a glass of wine even if it might be considered as 'too early'. As soon as she had her glass she brought it to her couch, sitting down wit her new book in her lap. She took a sip and opened her book only to realize she had totally forgotten to check what he'd written. As she stared at the words she put down her wine glass on the table, reading them over and over.

 _"To the beautiful brunette, who was strong enough to stand up for a man she'd never met. Thank you, Richard Castle"_

Just beneath his signature was a phone number, probably _his_. So _that_ 's how she was supposed to know his phone number. She chewed on her inner cheek while reading the message over and over, already memorizing each word from her favorite author. She took out her phone from her pocket and pushed his number into a new message. Before she could hesitate she wrote a message, asking if he still wanted to take her to dinner, and sent it. To her surprise she didn't have to wait more than a minute before she saw those dots appearing, indicating he was typing a message back.

"I was wondering if you would use my number or not, what's the address of yours?"

She considered not telling him, maybe she should just let it go before she could get hurt, but after a few minutes of thinking she sent it. The second it was sent she bolted up from the couch, suddenly very aware of the fact that she needed to get into the shower and figure out what to wear, which was way harder than she thought. Standing with her towel around her chest and damp hair falling down her shoulders she had searched her whole closet for something that would be considered nice enough to wear on a dinner with a world famous author. She didn't want to make him look bad and she certainly didn't want to disappoint him either. It still didn't make sense as to why he had asked her to dinner, a single signature in her book would've been enough! Now she was nervous with a flutter in her stomach that she had never felt before, not even before her very first date! She groaned, gritting her teeth and falling onto her bed, knocking a sigh out of her the second her back met the mattress. After spending another ten minutes just thinking she flew up from the bed again, walking into her closet she found the gown she was looking for. It was a nice black strapless dress she'd forgotten she owned, it had been so far tucked inside the closet she'd missed it the first time she searched through her closet. It didn't take long after she'd gotten the dress on, put on some makeup, before there was a knock on her door.

"Coming!" she called out.

She took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror once again. Who was she trying to fool? This was Richard Castle, there was no way he'd be interested in her. This was simply a thank you for defending him. Taking another breath she walked towards her door and opened it to reveal the handsome man.

"Wow-hi," Richard Castle breathed out and Kate couldn't stop the blush from appearing on her cheeks.

His eyes were wide and she could feel them looking her up and down, stopping on her face.

"Hey," she said, couldn't keep the shyness from her voice.

"You look... wow," he said low before he shook his head to collect himself. "Shall we?" he gestured with his hand towards the elevator.

"Yeah, let me just get my purse," Kate replied walking towards where she'd left it earlier by the kitchen counter.

When she turned around towards the door again she saw the writer had taken a step inside to look around. After taking a deep breath she returned to him and the second she had locked the door after them he offered his arm. She looked at him surprised by his gentleman moves but meeting his smile made her smile herself as she twirled a string of her hair around her finger and hooked her hand onto his arm.

"So," she dragged out on the word, her hand still hooked in his arm in the elevator, "where are you taking me?"

Kate glanced up at him only to see a small smirk growing onto his face.

"You'll see," he teased with a wink.

Biting her lip she couldn't wait to see what the night would hold.

* * *

The evening went amazingly splendid. The restaurant was nothing too fancy, which was absolutely perfect for Kate. It didn't take long before she had started calling him by his last name, and after he told her no one else did that she decided to keep doing it. To her surprise she had laughed a lot, and rolled her eyes a lot. Castle kept asking things about her as if she was the most interesting person he had ever met, and she'd had a blush on her cheeks the whole evening. Not wanting to end the evening they had agreed on walking back to Kate's apartment instead of taking a cab.

"Oh, how I'd love to see that!" Castle bursted out and Kate laughed, thinking back on the time when she had dressed up as lieutenant Chloe from the show Nebula 9.

"No, it was so embarrassing!" she laughed, fearing anyone seeing her like that again.

"Do you still have the costume?" he questioned, wiggling his eyebrows at her.

"Pfft, no!" she snorted and his eyes widened.

"You so do! Come on! You _need_ to show me!" he said with eyes roaming her body.

She felt her skin flush at his eyeing.

"No, I don't," she said even though she knew it was helpless, he'd seen through her.

He chuckled and nudged her shoulder with his before his hand managed to slink down hers, carefully twining his fingers with hers. An electric feeling took over her veins, and she couldn't stop her teeth from sinking into her lip. Kate had no idea it could feel this way with another human, no idea it could be this easy and so natural. It felt as if they had known each other their whole lives, not only a couple of hours. Without any warning Castle suddenly stopped and when she gave him a questioning look she saw his eyes were trained on the store beside them.

"Wait here, I have an idea," he said with shining eyes and a big smile before he kissed her cheek and went into the store.

Kate couldn't do anything but stand still in shock. It tingled where his lips had been only a couple seconds ago and she couldn't help but wonder what it would feel like if he had kissed her on her lips. Once she was able to function again she let her fingertips touch the spot, feeling silly for believing she could actually feel what had made it tingle. She tried to gather herself when she saw him coming out again, tried not to show him how much he'd affected her.

"What did you buy?" Kate questioned instead, trying to see what was in the bag and he smirked at her pulling it out of her sight, making sure she couldn't see what it was.

"You'll see," he teased, the same way he'd done earlier that evening.

He grabbed her hand again and tugged her towards him as they resumed their walk towards her apartment.

"So, what is your favorite convention memory?" she questioned, feeling as though she didn't want to be the only one sharing embarrassing dress-up moments.

He chuckled before he shook his head.

"I think my favorite is from when Alexis was little," he said, mentioning the daughter she'd learned he had only a couple of hours ago. "She was determined to be princess Leia after the Star Wars marathon I had forced on her," he chuckled again and Kate couldn't help but smile at the honest glimpse of happiness in his eyes, "so I bought her a costume, watched tutorials on how to do the hair, then I walked beside her in a full functioning Darth Vader costume, having a blast with us literally being father and daughter."

"That sounds like an amazing childhood memory as well," Kate commented, imagining Alexis must be grateful for the things her dad had done for her.

"Yeah, one of many I hope," he agreed as they arrived at her doorstep. "So, in order for you to actually get to know what I bought, you'll have to invite me up," he said with a small smirk. "But of course you don't have to if you don't want to, I don't want to force anything on you," he added with more seriousness in his voice than before, giving her a chance to back out if she wanted it.

Kate felt grateful for his consideration, but she was pretty sure he knew she would do anything to not separate from him too soon. Biting her lip she just shook her head.

"Come on," she said tugging at his hand the same way he had outside the store.

The smile that spread on his lips were more heartwarming than she thought a smile could ever be. To her relief he kept their fingers twined and in the elevator she couldn't help but stand as close to him as she could. The heat from his body was a lot more comfortable than she could've imagined, keeping her head on his shoulder a lot comfier than she thought. The second they stepped into her apartment Kate tried to grab the bag containing whatever Castle had bought but it was almost as if he'd read her thoughts, pulling it away right before she could get to it.

"Impatient are we?" he teased with a chuckle and she rolled her eyes with a smile on her lips.

"Just show me Castle," she complained and he shook his head.

"Katherine Beckett, don't you trust me?" he asked with fake shock.

"No," she teased and he laughed before he came closer to her.

He was so close she would only need to lean into him and their lips would meet, and god she felt the desire to do just that. It was weird to think they hadn't known each other longer than a couple of hours, that they had met for the first time that day.

"I promise you'll like it, can you trust me?" he whispered and Kate swallowed before carefully nodding, his smile widening. "Perfect, how about you sit down on the couch and wait for me there with your eyes closed?"

She muttered a 'fine' and before she managed to walk to the couch he leaned in and let his lips brush her cheek in a feathery kiss. Then he pulled away, fleeing towards her kitchen as her cheek got hot with the blush and she turned towards the couch. He reminded her not to peek which led to her reminding she had technically agreed to keeping her eyes closed while he worked on whatever he had bought, so she did. She sat down with her back towards one of the corners in the couch, her body turned towards the kitchen, and closed her eyes. Because even if she wasn't aloud to see what he was doing she still felt the need to ensure she could easily open her eyes and see in case something would go wrong. The trust she felt for him wasn't reasonable and she was starting to worry about how easy she had let him in, not only into her apartment but into her heart. How it flattered every time he was close didn't make sense and it was both scaring her and making her feel utterly safe with him. Which only made it worse when she tried to make sense of it all, how could he already feel like a safe person to be around when she technically didn't even know him yet? She followed the sounds of him while he worked and it didn't take much effort to know he was searching for something sounding like plates in her cabinets. Not long from he'd told her to go sit on the couch she could hear he was coming closer to the couch, leaving her kitchen with whatever he'd put on those plates.

"Open your mouth," he commanded carefully and she tried to figure out what it could be about.

"Why?" she questioned, trying to keep her mouth as closed as possible when muttering the word.

There was no way she _should_ be trusting him this much already, she shouldn't _want_ to do what he asked her to do.

"You don't trust people easy, do you?" he commented with a small sigh, "as long as you don't have any allergies you won't die from this, and if you don't like it you can immediately spit it out in my face if you want to, I won't hold you to it," he explained, and even if she was afraid of the trust comment she could hear he wasn't holding it against her at all.

He seemed so open and not wanting anything else than her company and her trust. So she made a decision and opened her mouth, quickly feeling a chill coming closer to her mouth and suddenly she knew exactly what he was putting in her mouth. It was ice cream! She opened her eyes at the surprise and saw his delightful smile as she closed her mouth around the spoon and he pulled it out. It was not ordinary vanilla, like she normally herself ate, but something else. It was sweet and actually quite good even though she had no idea what flavor it was, it was something she'd never tasted before, and she couldn't stop the moan from slipping past her lips.

"That wasn't so bad now was it?" he smirked before, with a sincere voice, adding, "but thanks for the trust."

Kate couldn't stop the upturn of her own lips as she swallowed the icy piece of food. Before she knew it he held up another spoon and she surprised herself by opening up again, without hesitation. She'd never let anyone feed her before, well, obviously when she was a kid... but not as an adult. Shockingly she didn't feel offended like she had when past boyfriends had tried, and she wondered why. As soon as the ice cream was in her mouth and he'd put down the spoon in the bowl he sat back in the couch to give her more space. She immediately missed having him so close, not that he had been that close really. He had been closer before, but she _wanted_ him close. Kate accepted the bowl he handed her and he took the ice cream bowl he'd made for himself to join her in the eating.

"What flavor is this?" Kate asked after a few minutes of silence eating.

"It's potato chip fudge, my absolute favorite flavor!" he said with an excitement reminding her of a child's and she chuckled. "It's almost impossible to find in this city but there are a few places to get it, and it must be fate that one of those places is so close to your apartment. I was literally destined to meet you one way or the other," he added with a different kind of excitement.

An excitement that had her both rolling her eyes and blushing. They finished their ice cream and to feel his body being within reach had Kate's fingers itch with the need to touch him. She had no idea why but there was something drawing her to him, something that told her she should just kiss him already. It was confusing her because this wasn't something she usually did, she had trouble imagining falling for a guy so easily but at the same time she had no trouble imagining her falling for him. Despite the fact that they had only known each other for a couple of hours, though his words _had_ helped her before. But she couldn't understand what he saw in her, why he'd asked her to dinner.

"Why'd you offer dinner?" she thought out loud.

When his eyes met hers she understood he wasn't following.

"I mean, why didn't you just settle with a signature? I would've been happy about that, any fan would, so why'd you insist on taking me out to dinner?" she questioned, watching as his eyes went soft with something looking like awe.

He shrugged, "it felt like I just had to. The way you defended me, it proved to me how invested you were in my books and even though I've had many fans being... well... invested, they've never been it in such a none-crazy honest kinda way, and I just knew I had to know you. I felt like I _needed_ to," he tried to explain. "And you're hot," he added with a teasing wink.

She couldn't help but laugh at that, "well, you're not so bad yourself, Castle," she smirked. To her delight the tip of his ears turned pink with the flush her words triggered. Kate giggled and raised in her slouched position to be able to take his bowl and put the two on the couch table. She could feel his eyes follow her every move, and she could feel a tingle going down her spine, burning her skin with a want she didn't know she had in her. On her way back into the couch she accidentally had her knee brush against the side of his thigh and she heard him take in a sharp breath, which led to her eyes meeting his and they stuck. They both drifted closer to each other, both feeling that magnetic field pulling them in.

"Why are you so damn enchanting?" he breathed out before his lips brushed hers.

Her breath shattered, taken away by the strong electricity his lips transferred to hers. The second their lips weren't in touch anymore she pressed her lips to his again, not being able to keep herself away. Before she could think about it she sucked in his bottom lip into her mouth and bit it carefully. Her action dragged a moan from low in his throat, which sent a shiver through her body. It didn't take long before they were both pulling away heaving to catch their breaths.

"Wow," she swallowed, which was harder than she'd thought.

There was a yearning inside of her that she somehow couldn't shake, a yearn she thought would settle after their make out but somehow it had only increased in its size. His hand gently cupped her cheek, his fingers stroking near her ear and it was hard not to fly at him again.

"I-uh..." his voice almost broke. "I don't think I should stay, if I do we might... I don't want to force you into anything, I don't... we shouldn't," his muttering was trembling.

She found his insecurity way too adorable for her own good, found his stumbling over words make her want him even more. The way he seemed so scared of doing something she didn't want to do had a warmth spread through her.

"That just makes me want you more," she confessed before she could even think about it.

Somehow her words sparked something in in him because his eyes widened before his lips came crashing back onto hers, kissing her with a force and passion that almost knocked her down but thanks to the training she kept up with her work she managed to stay put in her position. Though she soon realized she didn't want to stay in that position, taking his body with her as she smoothly fell backwards on the couch.

"God you're hot," Castle growled into her mouth, his tongue penetrating her lips to find hers.

Arousal filled her abdomen, and if she was reading his body right, which she was pretty sure she was, he wanted this as much as she did. Her fingers traveled to the hems of his shirt, grabbing a hold of it to be able to pull it over his head. Once the shirt was out of the way it didn't take long before the rest of their clothes were out of the way for their naked skin to tangle and had their bodies on set on fire.

"We shouldn't," Castle tried once again, creating a way out of she wants it.

But she _so_ doesn't.

"Castle, I _know_ you want this too," she said grabbing the proof to state her point.

He moaned at her touch and she smirked.

"Just promise me, Kate, this won't be a one time thing," Castle requested and he wouldn't do anything until she's answered him.

The second she promised she had no intensions of letting him out of her grasp, he'd joined their bodies together in a way that was far more intimate than any of them had imagined of what would happen that night.

* * *

"Castle...!"

The warning in her tone had his lips turn up in a smirk before he turned towards her. He gave her a questioning yet knowing challenge of a glimpse.

"That's inappropriate!" she exclaimed in a whisper.

He just chuckled and put down nugget in her crib with a last kiss on her head. Kate watched as he caressed their daughter's forehead one more time before descending towards her with the smirk laying on his lips.

"She's a month old, she won't remember a thing," he promised and Kate rolled her eyes.

"Maybe not but I still prefer you _not_ telling our baby girl about our first night together, or _any night_ for that matter."

His hands landed on her hips and she couldn't stop the shiver in her spine, giving away how his hands affected her in even the simplest of touches. Her breath shattered as his lips came close to hers and his hands pulled her body flush against him.

"Castle!" her warning tone was back in a gasp, pushing against his broad chest. "Not here!" she glanced towards the crib he'd just put Lily into.

His head dipped down to her neck and he kissed her pulse, feeling exactly what he was doing to her. When she moaned quietly he knew she was right, if they kept going they would wake up Lily and then they would _have_ to stop, and he didn't want that.

"Come on," he muttered against her skin before taking her hands and dragging her with him towards their bedroom.

Mmm, their bedroom. She liked their bedroom. Their sacred place. It had gone fast, their relationship blooming and even if they hadn't planned on having Lily so soon as a year after their relationship started it couldn't have been more perfect. Oh, how glad she was she had stood up for him that day. Who could've known that a little novel defense could change her whole world into a much happier and magical life?

* * *

 _The End_


	14. Chapter 14 - Mother's Day

_Prompt: Today is Kate's first mother's day with her baby girl. A day that must have been painful for years, is now a happy one. [ _sinetimore on twitter]_

* * *

Kate Beckett Castle jerked awake with a sudden feeling of something being wrong. Her eyes were immediately drawn to her alarm clock only to bolt wide at the time. When she looked beside her to alert her husband something must be wrong, she found the sheets cold and empty. Her heart started to beat hard and she was just about to jump out of bed when a note on her husband's pillow caught her eyes. Reaching for it she couldn't help but smile at the silliness of the love of her life. _To mommy,_ it said and she opened it feeling her heart calming down.

 _Good morning mommy, hope you slept well! Daddy made sure to stay with me as to not wake you up too early. Once you do come up we have a surprise for you in the kitchen though, love you mommy. /Lily_

Kate couldn't stop the chuckle, fully aware her ten day old daughter had nothing to do with any of this. She put down the note and got up from bed, putting on her robe with excitement filling her bones. The sight that met her when she walked out of her husband's office and into the kitchen had her heart melting. Rick Castle was gently rocking their baby girl as he flipped a pancake in the pan. Lily was starting to fuss and Kate couldn't help but smile at her husband's words.

"Schh, princess, mommy needs to sleep."

Kate silently walked up to her family, standing on her toes to be able to peck his cheek from behind his back. His body stiffened and he turned towards her with wide eyes.

"Sorry we woke you," he immediately said with an apologizing glimpse in his beautiful blue eyes.

"You didn't," she assured him by kissing his lips.

She couldn't help but hum as they pulled apart.

"What's the occasion for all this?" Kate's question had him grinning.

"I'll simply let Lily tell you," he replied and she raised her eyebrow.

He held their baby girl towards her and she gave him a suspicious look, immediately accepting her daughter though. Kate couldn't help but nuzzle her nose into her daughter's head, taking a deep breath to fill her nose with her baby scent. Castle turned to continue with the pancakes, keeping a peeking eye on his wife. The second Kate pulled away to look at her daughter she finally saw what Castle had meant. On her daughter's clothing were the first picture taken of Kate holding their newborn baby along with the text _Happy Mother's Day, Mommy_.

"Castle... this is..." Kate couldn't find the words.

Her voice trembling and her eyes watering, Castle felt worried his wife was about to cry. He laid up the last pancake on a plate and turned off the stove to be able to give his family all his attention.

"Lily and I have planned a whole day for us, I thought maybe you'd want to enjoy this first Mother's Day to the fullest but... if you don't want to..." Kate looked up at him with big eyes.

"No. No, Castle, this is beautiful!" she cut him off, putting a hand on his chest.

She couldn't stop the tears from falling down her eyes, and Castle put his arms around two of his favorite women. The youngest let go of a small sound and the two parents looked down at their tiny miracle. Kate wiped her tears and smiled at her husband.

"I'll feed her, then we can eat and after that you can tell me everything you have planned for today," she told him and his smile turned into a small smirk.

"Actually, the day is full of surprises so I won't tell you anything," he teased and she rolled her eyes with happiness shining in her eyes.

* * *

Kate couldn't believe the day she'd had, it was the best Mother's Day she'd witnessed for years. Castle had constantly surprised her with hidden messages that she knew he'd written and made but were signed from Lily, who was currently asleep in her crib not far from the bed where Kate snuggled closer to her lover. She let go of a satisfied sigh, thinking back on the day with a smile.

"You know, this morning it almost looked like you weren't gonna enjoy this day at all," Castle silently whispered, not sure why he brought it up but curiosity getting the best of him.

Kate thought back at that, how she'd started crying while feeding Lily. How she'd brushed it off when Castle tried to ask her what was wrong, saying she just found this so heartwarming. Now, she raised a bit to be able to meet his eyes, ready to tell him. Knowing she didn't have to but feeling like he deserved to know.

"I'm sorry about that, it's just that I kind of... banished myself from thinking about Mother's Day after my mom died. I went miserable three Mother's Days after her death and I knew that if I kept that up it would eat me up. So I decided to forget the day even existed," Kate explained, seeing understanding in his eyes. "Seeing that picture on Lily's clothing, and the text made me realize I had a reason to celebrate it again. Not the one I had before, but a new one. And I just so badly wish my mom could see all this, that she'd be here to meet you and Lily." her voice died out, feeling a lump in her throat she knew she'd start crying again if she continued talking.

"I'm sorry, I didn't even think of that," Castle said and she shook her head, feeling her tears come, once again.

"Don't be, I love this," she promised before blinking, trying to get rid of the tears. "Damn these hormones," she muttered.

Castle chuckled and kissed her forehead.

"At least I get to see this side of you too," he whispered and she gave him a look. "Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it as much as Lily did, she's been talking about this for ten days," Castle changed the subject and drew a chuckle from his wife's lips.

"Yeah, right," she said with a roll of her eyes.

"I love you, Kate, and who knows, a couple of years from now we'll have more children to celebrate you for the wonderful mother you've become," he winked and she could see the hope in his eyes.

"Maybe," she bit her lip, "I love you too Castle, always have, always will."

"Always," he repeated, leaning down to give her a chaste kiss.

* * *

 _THE END_

* * *

 _Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there! Hope you enjoyed this extra-extra small one shot, written on a few hours cuz I forgot I could have written this for this special day... anyway, hope you've all had a great day and stay amazing._  
 _Love you, xxxx_


	15. Chapter 15 - Fake BFF

_Prompt: I'm pretending to be your BFF because you looked VERY uncomfortable with that person at the bar hitting on you._

* * *

"No thanks, I already have one," Kate Beckett said holding up the drink she had in her hand.

The man just wouldn't stop trying to buy her a drink, it was ridiculous! She'd even pushed away the thought of swiping down her own drink because she didn't want to give him a chance to buy her one.

"Oh but come on, at least let me pay for it," the man said and Kate had to strain herself from rolling her eyes.

"No thanks," she just repeated and to her irritation the man sat down on the bar stool beside her.

"What's your name sweetie?" the man asked and Kate was starting to get the feeling she wouldn't be left alone.

"Chloe," she lied short, not wanting anything to do with the man but he was a lot bigger than her and even if she was a cop with the training she'd already had a couple of drinks before he came up to her which made her insecure about being able to take him down if he were to attack her for not answering.

"Chlooe," he rolled the name on his tongue, "I like it," he mused and Kate didn't like this at all.

What _if_ he'd try something? There were a lot of people at the club and she was certain no one would notice it if he somehow managed to gag her before she'd be able to scream. The man kept on trying to hit on her and Kate's pulse fastened at each word, feeling a small panic even if she tried her best not to show it. Suddenly, maybe twenty minutes after he'd approached her, his hand landed on her knee and she felt her whole being stiffen at the touch. Her heart stopped and she felt a chill go down her spine. His body came closer to her and she froze, completely paralyzed and not knowing what to do.

"What do you say about going somewhere more private?" he suggested with a low tone.

Kate wanted to scream something, call for help or anything, but she was still, couldn't move a muscle.

"Oh my god! You're here! I wasn't sure you'd come! Thank god I have so much to tell you about the new job!" Kate snapped her head towards the new guy coming towards her with a kindness in his eyes and, oh my god, was that Richard Castle?

The guy hugged her sudden and in the hug he managed to put his lips close to her ear to whisper "just play along".

Kate didn't know why she felt herself relax at his whisper but plastered on a big smile as she returned the hug.

"I know how is it over there?" Kate played along.

The guy, Richard Castle, started telling the most detailed story she'd ever heard for a lie, which convinced her he really was the best-selling author, and the man who'd originally made her whole soul cringe slowly walked away from the seat beside her to go and find a dance partner in another brunette on the floor. As soon as he'd gotten out of hearing range Kate relaxed further and let go of a relieved sigh.

"Thank you," she breathed out and Richard Castle smiled at her.

"No sweat, I could see from a mile away how uncomfortable that creep made you. I just hope you didn't have to put up with him for too long, I just got here a couple minutes ago," he explained nodding towards the door he'd gotten through.

Kate smiled, not sure of what else to say. The world famous author in front of her was her favorite, his books were her absolute favorites and she would love to discuss his books with him. What she wasn't so sure of was if it would be such a good idea to acknowledge the fact that she knew who he was. The silence that settled between them was not uncomfortable but not exactly comfortable either.

"I should probably go, I did what I came to do, scare that... _douche_ away,"the author said and Kate immediately protested.

"You should stay, I-uh, I'm Kate. Kate Beckett," she said, deciding that if she introduced herself it wouldn't be so awkward if she'd accidentally say his name.

"Ah, Rick," he said and she narrowed her eyes with a small teasing smile on her lips.

"What, no last name or are you only here to dump girls without giving them a chance to find you?" she teased.

Kate could see his cheeks turn red in the dark, colored lighting in the club and she couldn't help but chuckle at his shyness.

"No, not at all, I just..." he sighed, "Castle. My name's Rick Castle."

Kate smiled with bright eyes.

"See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" the sincerity in her voice even surprised her.

His eyes popped up wide, looking at her with a small surprise.

"You... you don't know who I am? I mean, scratch that!"

The way he was desperately trying to hide the fact that he was a celebrity, and she couldn't help but think that it perhaps was for the best to tell him. Even if she had preferred not to let him know she had a feeling he would find out sooner or later anyway.

"I know who you are," she shrugged her shoulders, "I've read all of your books," Kate's voice was low at the confession.

"You have?" Rick was shocked and she knew she was never going to be able to live this down. "So you're a fan then? Which is your favorite?" he continued to ask.

"Wow, slow your horses," Kate laughed.

Castle's lips turned up into a big smile, and she wondered what was going on in his mind right at that moment. What had made his lips smile when his eyes, only a second ago, had been filled with shock? She found herself being curious about him, about his thoughts, and it felt strange. Never before had a guy she'd just met filled her with such curiosity, when she thought about it no guy had _ever_ done that to her.

* * *

Kate was surprised by how much she told the author, not even thinking twice before answering his questions, and it didn't occur to her how many minutes, hours in fact, they sat there, discussing everything from his books to her work as a homicide detective. Rick had found her work more fascinating than she had thought he would, most guys got intimidated by it. Or, well, most _sober_ guys were.

"The club closes in ten minutes."

The bartender's reminder had Kate pulling out her phone to check the time, her eyes widening when she saw it was 3 am already. That meant she had been sitting there talking to Rick for about 5 hours straight, without even thinking about it!

"Oh shit, I should leave, I have a shift tomorrow," Kate raised from her chair and saw Rick did the same.

"Wait, in the morning?!" he exclaimed shockingly.

"Yup," she popped the p, "8am sharp."

She picked up her jacket and as she put her arms through it she saw Rick's eyes almost pop out.

"How the hell are you supposed to be able to work after only a few hours of sleep?" he questioned and followed her as she walked towards the door.

"Yeah, I wasn't thinking when I got her tonight, except that I needed a drink," Kate confessed looking back at him and holding up the door for him to follow her.

"How come? You never told me how you ended up here tonight," Rick asked and Kate could see he was unsure if he was allowed to ask such a question. "I mean, you don't have to," he quickly added, looking down at his shoes while they walked in the same direction.

She figured he followed her in order to keep her company and to her surprise she didn't mind it at all, she actually felt relieved he hadn't just left her.

"Tough case, well, not one of the toughest I've had but still, needed a drink to celebrate it was over," she answered easily, just like everything else she had told him tonight.

Rick nodded and before she knew what was going on he'd sneaked his hand into hers, trapping her fingers between his. When she looked at him he avoided her eyes but didn't let go of her hand.

"Do you think I could shadow you? For a day?" he asked and before she could question what for he added, "for research."

She came to a halt which resulted in him almost slipping out of her hand. " _Me_?!"

He turned towards her and even in the dark of the night she could see his blue eyes shine with... was that excitement? Did he seriously consider following _her_ , a homicide detective, around for a full day?

"Yeah," he shrugged his shoulders, "after spending hours of talking about it I'd love to see you in action."

Kate felt her cheeks blossom in a blush and hoped it was hidden in the darkness of the night, but by the smile on his lips she knew he could see it. Rick tugged at her hand and they started walking again. She had no idea why but she wasn't uncomfortable by the thought of the famous writer shadowing her a whole day.

"Fine, on one condition though," Kate decided with a wide smirk set his way.

To her surprise his lips only mirrored hers as he looked down at her because, yes, he was a few inches longer than her which made her wonder how much taller he was when she _didn't_ have her heels on.

"Anything!"

Shock filled her as it looked like he wasn't even afraid of what the condition could be, just accepted it like it couldn't be worse than _not_ being able to shadow her.

"8am sharp, or I'll send you home again," she warned and he chuckled.

"For you, I'll be there 7:30," he promised and she laughed and stopped outside her building, slipping her hand out of his.

"This is me," she pointed to the door with her thumb.

His eyes skimmed up the building and looked around them, as if to etch the surroundings into his memory.

"So, I guess I'll see you tomorrow?" Kate more asked than stated, not completely sure if she could trust he would find her worth the early morning and lack of sleep.

To be honest she wouldn't even blame him if he said he'd be there and then end up not showing up at all, she had a hard time thinking he'd actually stayed and talked with her the whole night.

"Absolutely," he said with an excitement in his voice.

Before she could react he bent down and put his lips in corner of her mouth, giving her a quick kiss before he strolled down the street with a wide smile shining in the dark. Kate stood like frozen for a few minutes before she was able to comprehend what had happened. The ghost of his lips were still fresh in the corner of her lips, tingling with a feeling she'd never felt before. Once he was long out of sight she managed to control her breath and legs enough to walk into her building, go up to her apartment. Getting up there she couldn't stop thinking about what could happen the day after, if he truly would show up or not.

* * *

The second she stepped out of the elevator at the precinct the next day her partner, Esposito, grabbed her arm to pull her aside, in the direction _away_ from the bullpen where her desk was at. Kate quickly shrugged off his hand and he turned to her with a hard, worried look.

"What?" she questioned, afraid something had happened.

"There's a guy here saying he's waiting for you. Says he met you and got permission to come here. We don't trust him so Ryan is keeping an eye on him while I waited for you," Esposito said, his eyes wandering towards the bullpen where she guessed this _guy_ was seated.

"Espo... is this guy perhaps named Richard Castle?" she asked, feeling butterflies swirl around in her belly.

His head snapped towards her and his eyes were wide with surprise.

"You actually know this guy? I thought he was some creep stalking you."

Kate couldn't help but chuckle, knowing her partner considered her a sister he had to protect from guys that could hurt her.

"It's okay Espo, I told him he could shadow me today."

His eyes narrowed, "when did you even meet him?"

She immediately noticed his voice turning into the detective mode he often used on their suspects, and she rolled her eyes saying, "stand down, he's harmless."

Esposito just hummed, giving her a look she couldn't place.

"Hey! There you are!" an already familiar voice called out from the bullpen and when Kate looked over she saw the author walking towards her.

She felt her partner starring between her and the writer when Rick pulled her into an unexpected hug. Her right hand automatically went to his back to quickly squeeze him before pulling away.

"You came," she stated.

"Of course!" he replied with a wide grin.

"He's been here since 7, claiming he couldn't wait to start the day," Esposito muttered and before Kate could shoot him a glare Ryan came into view.

"Heeey Beckett! You know this guy?" he said and she saw his eyes worry about her.

Kate refused the urge to once again roll her eyes, she couldn't believe they were so protective of her!

"Yeah, guys, this is Rick and Rick this is my partners, Esposito and Ryan," Kate introduced them even though she had a feeling they'd already introduced themselves.

Before they could say anything else captain Montgomery came into view and sent them to work, a body had been found at a park not far from there.

* * *

Being around Rick Castle all day was much more eventful than Kate Beckett had ever imagined. He'd come with theories after theories, the next one crazier than the one before and she'd almost gone mad. She couldn't stop the butterflies from swirling around in her belly though. And she couldn't stop thinking about his lips either, how they had kissed the corner of hers less than 24 hours ago. She also found herself glimpsing down at his lips every once in a while when he was talking, found herself staring into his eyes for longer than she should, and there was something that made her watch him when he wasn't looking. It was like he was one end of a magnet attracting her. Esposito and Ryan had given her looks and grins when they caught her looking at him, almost like they knew something she didn't. So she'd sent them home at 10 pm, claiming she would be out soon too and that they would start fresh in the morning trying to find more clues. Only once they had left she had no intentions of leaving, and when Rick asked her about it she told him he could go if he wanted to but that she needed to look at the murder board some more. To her surprise he chose to stay, sat beside her on her desk and eyes the board together with her in silence.

"You know, I don't think something new's gonna pop up. It hasn't for the last hour," Rick said and when she didn't answer he looked at her.

He could see she was tired, but could also see the determination in her eyes. The determination that she was going to stare at the board until something spiked at her, and Rick couldn't stop staring. It was admirable, the way she took this job so seriously. The glances she'd shot at him if he'd made an inappropriate comment had made him realize this was more than a job for her. It was her way to honor those who'd fallen victim for the wicked. He decided to try again though, he knew she hadn't gotten much sleep the last night and he wouldn't feel right if she would end up with another sleepless night. Especially since it was kind of his fault she'd been at the club so late the night before.

"Kate? We should probably go home, get some sleep, we can get back on track tomorrow morning," he said carefully putting his hand over hers.

She jumped at his touch, had forgotten he was still sitting right by her side, and looked at him before shaking her head to gather her thoughts.

"I'm sorry, you're probably tired, you should get home," she agreed and he gave her a meaningful look.

"You should too," he said and when she gave him a look he added, "I won't leave unless you leave with me."

Kate felt guilt in her stomach. She couldn't force him being there all night because of _her_ obsession to find justice. With a sigh she nodded, "fine."

Before she could react he'd jumped down from the desk and was holding up her jacket for her. Her lips tugged upwards and she accepted his offer the second her feet landed on the floor. Once they got to the elevators Kate was surprised when she saw her captain coming out but he stopped the second he saw her.

"Good, you're leaving," he commented and Kate bit her lower lip, looking down.

"Yeah, we're heading home," she mumbled and Rick felt confusion towards why her captain had come back.

"That's good, I'm just gonna get my keys, you know how Evelyn is, always worried someone will take them when I forget them," captain Montgomery excused himself and walked past them after saying "night".

When the elevator doors closed around them Rick couldn't help but turn towards her with a questioning rise of the eyebrow. Kate knew what he was asking, actually found it weird how she knew yet they hadn't even spoken, and sighed deep.

"I-uh, it happens that I tend to not go home at all, that I sleep a few hours on the couch in the break room," she said with a low almost shameful voice, yet he could sense a strong and proud undertone.

Rick observed her face, saw the determination in her eyes even though she wasn't looking at him.

"May I ask what happened?" his voice was barely a whisper but her head snapped towards him as if he had been shouting out the question.

"What do you mean?" Kate felt her body stiffen, felt the walls around her heart rise.

Rick considered shrugging it off, leave it alone, but his curiosity was too strong. Now he just had to play it out smoothly enough to make her understand he meant no harm.

"I-uh..."

Kate waited patiently, but before he could clear his thoughts enough to explain the elevator doors dinged and opened. They stepped out and he decided it was for the best to just get it over with.

"As you already know I'm a writer," he started, feeling her eyes wander between him and the street they came out to. "I'm compelled to know the story, I not only _want_ it, I _need_ it. And I can't find a... reasonable explanation as to how you ended up being a homicide detective unless something happened to you which made you change direction. Under normal circumstances you wouldn't be here, you'd be something more respectable, something... uh-higher, and that tells me something must've happened, not to you because you're wounded but not _that_ wounded..." his voice was filled with shame, not so sure about this anymore, "I'm sorry, I'm way too nosy, you don't have to tell me."

His statement had her heart pounding. How could he had her figured out so soon?! How could he know her better than anyone else in less than 24 hours?! If she hadn't known better she'd say he was psychic or a mind reader! But, also, the way he seemed so ashamed for prying made her heart slow down again, made her feel somewhat safe. Which, by the way, also scared her! When she glanced to his body he had shoved his hands in his jacket pockets, as if to try and shield himself from the cold he was expecting to get from her. Biting her lip, Kate made a decision she had never before done so quickly.

"It was my mother," she said low, immediately earning his eyes on her. "She was killed when I was 19. They never caught the guy, still haven't, and I thought that if I could just get access to the file, to the evidence, maybe I could fix it. Only I fell down a rabbit hole, became obsessed. It was like my mom's case was the alcohol and I was an alcoholic. So, I let it go, haven't touched it for a year now, but I still want to find justice, _crave_ justice. Which is why I have a hard time sleeping and taking breaks when we have cases. I want the families of the victims to get the justice and answers I never got... which I still don't have."

Kate was shocked to hear herself telling him the whole story, her only intention had been to let him know her mother had been murdered, _not_ give him everything about her addiction.

"I'm sorry," he eventually said, after being quiet for about a minute to let her breath.

"Me too," she whispered and felt his hand curve around hers, hugging carefully to give her comfort.

To Kate's surprise she was also able to draw strength from his touch, feeling better, less alone, than she normally did when she brought up the subject of her mother. Before she knew it they came to a stop in front of her building, having said nothing more during the rest of the way yet it didn't feel awkward. Their walk had felt so comfortable, and she didn't feel so cold and alone as she usually did.

Rick wasn't sure of what to say, he didn't want to leave her but he didn't want to intrude either.

"You wanna come up?"

Kate's voice was small, gentle, almost as if she was telling him her sweetest secret. Almost as if she was shy. Somehow he made her feel so... not herself. Yet she felt like she was _exactly_ herself. She felt as though she could be herself around him, as though she didn't have to hide away who she really was.

"I'd love to," he said and when she looked at him she could see a glimpse of happiness sparkle in his eyes.

A warmth spread through her veins and she could tell her cheeks turned red from the blush as she tugged on his hand to encourage him to follow her inside.

Rick felt his insides flip setting his foot inside her apartment. He couldn't help but let his eyes roam the living room they got into, try to figure her out through the things she collected. To his satisfaction he could see pictures in frames a little here and there and couldn't help but feel excited to see a part of her past. Kate asked him if he wanted some wine and he immediately accepted her offer, while she went to fetch the wine and some glasses he took the opportunity to look around her living room area. His eyes were drawn to a certain spot in her bookshelf where there were a bunch of pictures in one frame, and once he got to it he could see what he presumed was a baby-Kate with her mother. There were also picture of Kate growing up, pictures where she was posing with either her mother or her father. It was everything from silly to adorable to almost sad ones. The picture in the other frame beside it was a family portrait, with all three family members, and Kate must've been 18 or 19 when they took it, right before it happened. They looked so happy in the picture that it tore his heart apart knowing that they hadn't made it as a family, that one of them were gone and wouldn't come back. In the middle of the two frames stood a beautiful candle, and he wondered if she usually did light it up or if she just kept it there as a salute. He looked to his left, to be able to take a deep breath without looking at the pictures and he saw something way to familiar. _She had his books!_ Every one of them! So she hadn't just _read_ them, she _owned_ them! He felt his heart jump with joy but was soon filled with surprise and confusion when he saw she had two copies of his first book. _What was that about?_ He couldn't help but carefully take them out of the shelf, one of the books seeming more fragile compared to the other, and went over to the couch to investigate. He knew it was snooping but he couldn't stop himself, he was too curious. He carefully peeled the more fragile book open, falling into a still position as he looked at the words staring back at him.

"Sorry you had to wait, couldn't find the..." his eyes snapped up to hers and her voice died as she saw what he had in his hands.

"I-uh," he didn't know what to say.

Kate should've expected him to see it. She should've known he would look around and see it. She should've known the confusion would strike his curiosity and make him look in them. What was shocking to her was that she couldn't care less. She didn't care he'd found it, that he'd snooped around. What was even more shocking was that she felt _happy_ he'd found it. And it didn't make any sense because every other person who'd gotten close to the book had made her so mad that she'd broken it off, said she couldn't be with someone intruding her privacy like that. But not him. Somehow she didn't feel anything like that towards him.

"I had no idea, I'm sorry," Rick finally got out, not knowing if he should just leave now before she could _kick_ him out.

Kate shook her head, closed the distance between her and the couch to sit down beside him.

"Don't worry about it," she mumbled, offering one of the wine glasses to him.

He accepted hesitantly, not sure what was going to happen next. They clinked their glasses and took a sip each before putting them on the table in front of them.

"I know you probably don't remember her, she didn't exactly stick out and I'm sure you've signed thousands of books," Kate said with a gentle but saddened smile on her lips.

"I'm sorry," he repeated again and she shook her head.

"You don't need to feel sorry Rick, I get it okay? But you should know that it was your words that made me feel closer to her once she was gone. I found the book, remembering her reading it over and over and found that I myself couldn't put it down, I reread it so many times I decided to buy my own so as to not destroy my mom's favorite book," she explained and he looked down at his handwritten words.

 _To Johanna, may your world forever be filled with light. Richard Castle._

"It didn't take long before I found out you had written more books and once I did, I bought them all, your words kept me going, kept me from falling completely apart. And I have no idea why I'm telling you this," Kate suddenly hid her face behind her palms, wondering what the bell was wrong with her.

Why couldn't she keep one secret around him? Why did she tell him everything as if it was something she wanted him to know? She had never told these things to anyone before, not even her best friend. She didn't even flinch when his hand landed on her shoulder, already knowing it was him and feeling safe with him reaching out.

"If it's any comfort I don't mind knowing these things, besides I'm here if you need to talk about it. Sounds like you haven't been able to do that before," he carefully said, hoping it wasn't overstepping any boundaries.

The deep sigh she let go of had him wondering if this was it, was it now she would throw him out? As she opened her mouth again she looked at him with tender eyes.

"Thanks, Rick. You know, you're not as bad as they make you look in the papers," she tried to tease, tried to lighten up the mood.

He huffed, rolled his eyes but couldn't be more grateful for the comment.

"That's just media coming up with drama after drama because one little misunderstanding," he told and let go of her shoulder. "One day you're having a dinner meeting and the next you're suddenly head over heels in love with your devil to publisher," he snorted and she couldn't help the laugh that.

Rick observed her face with a smile tugging his lips, he found himself trying to etch every small detail of her face into his memory. His eyes got stuck on her lips, and thoughts came flying to his mind as he continued to watch her for another couple of seconds before he found her laughing calm down.

Kate had no idea how he had made her feel so good only moments after telling him her saddest memories. How was it possible for him to lighten her evening with the simplest as his company and words? She found herself hoping he would never leave, that he would stay one way or another.

"Crazy thought," Rick suddenly said and won back her attention to the now, "what would you do if I kissed you right now?"

Her mouth fell slightly open at his question. What _would_ she do? Being honest with herself she had no idea, but then again she couldn't help wonder what her reaction would be as well. Did she want him to kiss her? Her eyes flickered down to his lips, immediately feeling her heart skip a beat at the thought.

"Why don't we find out?" she heard herself reply and his eyes sparkled.

Rick took action and leaned towards her, feeling her breath hitch before his lips smoothly brushed hers in a feathery kiss. As he pulled away he saw her eyes being closed and she bit her lip. Still feeling the ghost of his lips on hers Kate was shocked to feel a static run through her veins. When her eyes opened she saw him eyeing her carefully, waiting for a reaction. She placed her hand on his chin and pulled him towards him again, feeling the need for their lips to reattach. This kiss was longer, more confident. Both of them finding it hard to let go. They had no idea how it happened, how everything could go so fast. One day he's pretending to be her best friend to get rid of a creepy guy and 24 hours later they're sitting on her couch making out as if they're long lost lovers. Because that's how it felt, it felt as though they were lovers who'd finally found each other after a long time searching. Kate wasn't sure how this would turn out, but she had a feeling Rick would be right by her side to figure it out. Together.

* * *

 _THE END_


	16. Chapter 16 - Owing

_Prompt: Different ending to 1x06. "Owe you what?"_

* * *

"You okay, Castle?" Beckett asked, a bit concerned by his calm.

She was leaning towards the wall, face towards the writer, to be able to observe him when he opened his mouth.

"My first gun battle," he answered cockily, taking a sip of the champagne he'd popped open earlier.

"Your _last_ gun battle," she insisted, not at all surprised by his statement.

"Mmm, don't be so pessimistic," he said turning his body towards her. "I think I handled myself pretty well," he added with that cocky grin plastered on his face.

"Yeah, probably saved my life," she was teasing him, on purpose, knowing he would react.

"Probably?! I _definitely_ saved your life," he exclaimed. "And you know what that means, don't you?" he added with a growing smirk, "it means you owe me."

"Owe you what?" Beckett felt her body stiffen, pushing away from the wall to be able to stand straight.

" _Whatever_ I want," Castle felt cockily confident and started walking towards his partner. "And you know exactly what I want, don't you?"

Beckett felt her heart pumping hard against her chest. She couldn't understand why her body reacted like it did, a lust she's never felt before came crushing down inside her. A craving of _him_ and no matter how hard she tried she couldn't get rid of it. And it didn't help him coming closer, his scent filling her nostrils.

"You know what I really, _really_ , want you to do," he teased, eyes flicking down her body, and leaned closer so they stood face to face.

With their eyes stuck in each other's, with their faces so close, Beckett couldn't stop thinking about the heat his body beamed at hers. Before she could think her body reacted on its own, her lips crashing onto his in a rushed kiss. His body stiffened and it took about three seconds before his lips returned the hasty assault. Electric ran through her veins and her mind was spinning around, no coherent thought in sight. Beckett felt one of Castle's hand land in her short hair, fingers entangling in it, and the other found her hip, squeezing only to send a wave of arousal to her center. How could _one_ man, one _hell of an annoying_ man turn her on so badly?! When his tongue suddenly touched her lower lip she immediately opened her mouth to let him explore and taste her, at the same time she got to taste him. All of a sudden she knew, _she knew_ , she would be addicted to him and the taste of his mouth. She moaned when his tongue danced with hers and felt her cheeks blossom hot with the embarrassment that this man, this awfully _annoying_ man, made her loose control. _Her_ of all people! Without warning he pulled away, ripping their lips apart and she couldn't help but curse him in her mind.

"Did Kate Beckett just _moan_?" he questioned with a smirk.

"Shut up!" Beckett snapped and turned to walk away only to be twirled around into his arms again.

His lips found hers again, weakening her knees to such level that he most likely could feel it. Kate knew she should stop them, knew that this wasn't what she was supposed to do, knew this was exactly what she'd prevented herself from giving in to. But she couldn't. She felt too much alive, felt a craving for him that she'd denied for too long. Her fingers traveled to his chest, unbuttoning the first button that hadn't been unbuttoned already and she suddenly felt his hand wrap around hers to stop her.

"Not here," he mumbled against her lips.

"Then lets go," was her response, pulling away from his lips to be able to grab his arm and pull him with her as she went for the elevator.

Castle was surprised, found himself being in a hypnotic state where the only thing he could do was follow her blindly. He might have been waken enough to stop her from doing something she would regret in public, but he somehow doubted he would be able to resist her once they were alone. Even though he knew he wouldn't there was nothing he could do to stop following her because her lips and the lust he'd felt come from her body had transmitted over to his. He couldn't recall when he last wanted someone the way he wanted her. Smitten, that was what he was. There was no way he'd be able to keep his hands to himself from now on, and he feared she had other ideas. He was afraid she'd regret this and not want anything more to do with him after this, even though her body so clearly did.

Beckett was determined, she knew this was a bad idea but she was determined to have him. She lead him into the elevator, into her car and then she drove home, taking him with her. The fire he'd started inside her where nowhere close to being put out, it was like it only increased in its size the longer she had to wait before she could have his lips on hers again. The second she opened her apartment door she knew he was as turned on as she was because it didn't take another second before he flipped her around and closed the door with her body by pushing his close to hers, fusing their lips together in a hunger she hadn't witnessed before. She couldn't stop the moan from slipping past her lips and she halfway expected him to comment on it again but instead the kiss turned wilder, more rough. He didn't stop her this time when she let her hands move to unbutton his shirt. She heard herself whimper when the contact between their lips suddenly disappeared, but was happily satisfied when she felt his connecting to her neck instead.

"Oh, god, Castle," she gasped as he started sucking on her pulse, definitely leaving a hickey for the world to see the day after.

Her hands started roaming his bare chest, feeling his skin shudder at her touch and got a feeling he enjoyed this as much as she did. It didn't take long before he was dragging her away from her door to get enough space to pull off her jacket, followed by her shirt. His touch had her skin set on fire and the second he had unclasped her bra his lips kissed their way down to her left breast where they latched onto her nipple, sending shockwaves of pleasure down her body. If she hadn't been so pleasured by his skilled mouth and hands she would've been embarrassed of the moans and sounds that escaped past her lips. When one of his hands, _finally_ , took charge slipping into her pants she couldn't wait any more.

"Bedroom," she gasped out before she pushed him away from her to lead him there.

Castle was, yet not really, surprised when the detective pushed him onto the bed to straddle him and therefore take charge. The way she took control felt so obvious yet he would've thought she'd let go in the bedroom, but apparently not. Her lips were on his again and he groaned when she started moving her hips in a circling matter against his growing length. He couldn't help but wonder if she'd ever allowed her lover to take control, he also wondered what she would do if _he_ took control. Deciding to let her have it for a few more minutes he just followed her moves, allowing her to set the pace, but just as those minutes had passed he more felt than heard her gasp at his sudden movement.

He'd spun them around! And damn was she impressed. Beckett hadn't seen it coming, had figured he'd not dare to take charge when she so clearly was the one in control. His lips wandered down her neck, along her breasts and down to her belly button where he stayed, kissing and nipping her sensitive skin, as he unzipped her pants to drag them down her long legs. The second they were off and sent to her floor he dove in to kiss her most private area and she felt herself go numb by the explosion of emotions going through her body.

"Castle, please," she heard herself whimper out the plead.

When their eyes met as he rose to level up with her she could see the glimpse of shock behind the dark lust. Castle stripped out of his own pants and before he was even close to where she wanted him he stopped to look her deep in the eyes.

"You sure you want this?" he asked and she groaned.

"Yes!" she exclaimed followed by a loud moan as he finally gave into her.

* * *

Sweaty and tired they laid in a bundle of limbs in her bed. Their legs were tangled and her head was positioned on his chest, both breathing heavily, both trying not to fall asleep from the pleasure.

Castle was about to say something, he _wanted_ to say something, but he also didn't want to ruin the moment. He was afraid that if he said anything, anything at all, she would realize what they've done and push him away to never speaking to him again. If he was honest with himself he was truly surprised she was still in his arms, letting him hold her. Perhaps she was just tired, but he couldn't help but hope it meant something.

Beckett felt happy, yet she had a lump in her stomach. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to stop herself, not give into her feelings. Laying in his arms didn't make it easier, she found herself cuddling closer to his body and there was a joy in her heart she hadn't felt in a long time. It surprised her when she realized her eyes were watering, that tears fell down her cheeks only to land on his naked chest.

"I'm sorry," Castle suddenly whispered in her ear and she quickly wiped her cheeks in order to hide the evidence.

"For what?" she asked in a low tone, trying her best to hide the shake in her voice.

"I didn't mean to push you, I didn't mean to..." she cut him off by shaking her head.

"No, Castle, I wanted this, I-" her voice didn't hold, so she sighed in an attempt to calm down and she felt his arms tighten around her in a hug.

"What's on your mind?" he asked carefully.

She took a deep breath, calmed down thanks to his scent drawn in through her nostrils, and decided to try and push it away like she normally did.

"Nothing, it's nothing."

Oh, but he could sense there was something. And if it wasn't the fact that they'd slept together, he didn't know what it was and he felt the need to know. He so awfully wanted to _not_ be the reason behind her tears, but somehow he had a feeling he was, one way or the other.

"Come on Kate, you can tell me. If it... no matter how much you wanted this a couple of minutes ago I shouldn't have... I'm sorry, I should've stopped, I should've known more to wait," he mumbled into her ear.

"No, it's not that. It's... this isn't gonna work. I always screw things up. I don't let people in," her voice was no more than a whisper, and he could hear the sadness she felt.

So _that_ 's what she was afraid of. It made perfect sense to him, though. He had seen, from the moment they, that she'd not let him in easily. And once he'd learned her story, not that long ago, he understood. She never wanted to hurt the way she'd done when her mother was taking away from her, and so she didn't let anyone close enough to hurt her. Simple as that.

"Kate, you're not gonna screw this up, we can figure something out. We can take things slow, whatever makes you feel comfortable," he promised. "If you want to of course," he added.

Feeling her body once again snuggling closer to his had his lips kissing the top of her hair.

"I'd like that," her voice was careful, soft, so unlike Beckett.

"Good," he commented.

* * *

A month later Beckett found herself laying in his bed, perfectly satisfied after the hour long tangling of their bodies. They laid beside each other, heaving breathily, and Beckett couldn't help but feel grateful for the decision they'd made. They'd agreed to take things slow, emotionally that is, physically they couldn't keep apart for too long. He'd even managed to make her break her own rules she set up about no physical contact at the precinct. When no one saw he'd stroke her hand, or accidentally touch her thigh way too high to be considered appropriate. To Beckett's delight they had managed to keep their newfound relationship secret, none knowing about it except for their families, and they only knew due to Martha walking in one morning seeing Beckett and Castle giving kisses good morning. Thank god they'd been dressed, or else Beckett would've never sat her foot inside his apartment again.

Now, as Beckett put her head on Castle's chest again she felt confusion intrude her mind as she felt his body rumbled with a chuckle. She lifted to be able to look down at him in question, wondering what could've brought that shy smile onto his face.

"Something funny?" she asked when he didn't explain.

"Just thinking about how we got here," he answered with a glimpse in his eye.

"You mean how you tricked me into owing you?" she narrowed her eyes at the memory.

How he'd turned her on so badly in the matter of seconds. Simply thinking back at the moment had arousal sent down her insides again, and their naked and heated bodies being pushed together didn't help either. His chuckle had her coming back to her senses, and she definitely wanted to know what he was thinking about.

"No, I didn't," he couldn't help but laugh.

Her eyebrows wrinkled, "yes you did."

"No, I didn't," he insisted.

"You said I owed you, and don't come and say you didn't want me to kiss you," Beckett was certain she knew what he'd wanted from her, so certain it made him laugh even more.

Castle felt so amused she had truly believed that was the thing he was going to ask her. But at the same time he was a bit offended too, she'd believed he only wanted her for her body which were far away from the truth.

"Kate, it kills me you'd think I would take advantage of you like that," he mused and after she gave him a look he added, "of course I wanted you, I'm not gonna even try deny that, but I _was_ simply just going to nicely ask you not to call me kitten."

Her eyes widened, and he suddenly felt frightened as she started pulling away her body from his.

"So, you're seriously telling me I... I... oh my god," she mumbled in shock as the realization dawned on her.

Castle couldn't help but find her shock adorable and chuckled, though careful as to not make it too obvious in the fear of loosing her. His hand rested on her naked waist, pulling her closer again to be able to nestle his face into her hair.

"I'm so glad you did," he said confidently before starting kissing her cheek, slowly moving his lips onto hers.

The second his lips were on hers she moaned, the sensation had not failed during their month together. If something it had increased every time they kissed, every time they touched. It was getting harder and harder not to touch each other when they were close. Luckily they were in the safety of his loft, his bedroom, his sheets, and soon their hands weren't as still as they'd been minutes before.

"Gosh," she gasped as he started kissing down her neck. "I _love_ this," his lips stopped at her statement.

Castle pulled away to be able to look down at her, his body still slightly pushing hers into the sheets. He watched as her cheeks turned red with a blush.

"You love this?" he questioned with a small smirk on his lips.

Her teeth sank into her lips and he had a hard time _not_ kiss her before he got his answer.

"Truthfully I think I'm falling," she said and found his lips proving her right when they crashed on hers.

Oh, she was falling alright. And there was nothing that could stop her.

* * *

 _THE END_


	17. Chapter 17 - Double trouble

_Prompt: Kate gets mad at Rick when she finds out that it's twins she's pregnant with._

* * *

Shock went through her body. She stopped listening after the first word had left the doctor's mouth. Twins? _Twins?!_ Was she _serious?!_

"Yes, I'm serious. You're expecting twins," her doctor, Savannah Matthews, told her.

Kate Beckett Castle was completely paralyzed. How the hell was she supposed to handle _two_ babies?! She had almost shot her husband, Richard Castle, the first time due to sleep deprivation.

" _Two babies?"_ she still couldn't wrap her head around it and she felt her doctor looking at her with a small irritation in her eyes, as if she couldn't understand how Kate _couldn't_ move forward.

"Yes, mrs Castle, two heartbeats indicate two babies, twins. Now, there's a few risks you need to know about such as the risk for miscarriage is higher which is why I need you to be extra careful. And considering the job you have..." Kate stopped listening.

She didn't register anything else but the two heartbeats sounding in the room until her husband decided to make his presence known by opening his mouth.

"Simon Doyle was right!"

His exclamation had Kate flinch in her seat and look at him with a questioning look.

" _Who_?" she demanded to know who could possibly have guessed any of this.

"Simon Doyle! The man from the future, don't you remember? He said we were married and had three kids in the future," Castle's excitement had Kate shooting him a look, _her_ look.

"If you say that one more time I swear to god I'm gonna shoot you," she growled and her doctor looked at her with frightened eyes.

Castle's grin didn't lessen one bit, if something it got bigger, and Kate gave him a deadly stare. Dr Matthews seemed to become quite struggled and stood from her chair to walk over to her desk where she pulled out a drawer. Kate couldn't be less interested in what her doctor was doing, at that moment she was so focused on making sure Castle wouldn't do anything stupid.

"Here's a list of all the things you can expect during your pregnancy, if there are any more questions I'll gladly answer them. Do you two want me to print a picture of the ultrasound?" dr Matthews asked and Kate didn't have time to even consider the answer before Castle enthusiastically told her yes.

Dr Matthews handed Kate the brochure about twin pregnancy before she sat down at her computer to type something.

"Castle. If this pregnancy gives me worse morning sickness than the last one I _will_ shoot you and have Ryan and Espo help me hide the body," Kate threatened under her breath as she read the list.

"Come on Kate, this is going to be so much fun! It's gonna be twice as fun as with Lily!" Castle was way too happy for her taste.

"Which means it's going to be twice as _hard_ as with Lily, _plus we have Lily_ ," Kate narrowed her eyes at him.

Dr Matthews told them she'd be right back and disappeared from the room. Castle took that as an opportunity to lean down and force a kiss on her lips and to Kate's irritation she couldn't resist from kissing him back. Why was he so damn irresistible?! If only she'd not let him seduce her like he did they wouldn't be in this position!

When their lips parted she let go of an "I hate you" and Castle only chuckled.

"I love you too," he replied and that's when the doctor came back with an envelope.

"Here's the picture, now, before you leave you'll need to schedule for another appointment in two weeks from now."

Kate's jaw dropped.

" _Two weeks_?" she questioned and she saw dr Matthews had a difficult time not rolling her eyes at her reaction.

"Yes, when expecting twins you need to be checked more often, and if you're having stomach ache at any time you should immediately call or go to the ER. Understood?" dr Matthews seemed to start handling her as a kid, probably due to all the shock she'd been through in less than an hour.

"Got it, I'll keep track on her," Castle promised and Kate groaned.

She was truly going to kill him before the babies even got to meet their father.

"Good, and no sparring, no heavy lifting, no taking down criminals. Leave that to your coworkers," the doctor gave Kate a serious glare.

Kate couldn't stop the grunt that came out through her lips and she felt Castle's worried look. The married couple thanked the doctor before they headed out, booked for a new appointment and then they hailed a cab without too much struggle. Castle tried sitting as close to Kate as he could but she turned her body away from his, keeping her distance. He figured it was payback for all the comments at the doctors and didn't really pay attention to it. He was way too happy to let her bring him down, though she already had a bit. Worry was one of the greater emotions traveling around his body right now. Worry that she didn't want more kids, worry that she'd burn out herself and thereafter hurt the babies. _Babies_. He couldn't quite accept the fact that they were having twins! _Twins!_ He was over-excited! Which was probably the biggest reason Kate was distancing herself from him, he wasn't the one to carry the two so he had truly no idea what she was going to go through. Kate's head was spinning around with all the thoughts of day's new information. She had known she was pregnant, she had, but not in a million years would she have guessed she was pregnant with twins! She was in shock and so, so scared. Everything had just started. Lily was only three years old and Kate didn't quite feel as if she was good enough of a mother. She missed her own mother so much, couldn't ask the simplest of questions. Sure, she had Martha, who had been an absolute _angel_ to her, but it just wasn't the same. _Two more kids_. How the _hell_ was she supposed to handle this? How was she supposed to raise three kids? She jumped in her seat when she suddenly felt Castle's hand on hers, and turned her head towards him, disguising her fear with irritation. Because yes, she was still a bit irritated by him.

"We're home," he said and that's when she realized the cab stood still.

She nodded, not feeling like talking just yet, and they got out of the cab in silence. Castle still had a big grin plastered on his face and even though she wasn't sure how to feel yet her lips were turned up on their own, an automatic to the adorableness of sneaking peeks of her happy husband. For some reason she didn't let it show though, every time she felt his eyes on her she put on her poker face.

"Mommyyyyy! Daddyyyyy!" the small brown haired girl ran up to them the second they opened the door.

Her arms flung around their legs, trapping Kate's right leg and Castle's left, in a hug.

"Hi baby!" Kate said with a wide smile, immediately feeling a bolt of joy inside her body.

"Hi nugget!" Castle chuckled, bending down to be able to lift their daughter into his arms.

Lily laughed at the silly nickname she'd gotten from her father. Kate hadn't understood it at first, getting irritated about it, but then she remembered Castle had always called his first-born pumpkin and suddenly she felt grateful _their_ daughter wouldn't have to feel left out because of it. Now Kate couldn't help but wonder what nicknames he could possibly give the twins. She decided that if he even as much as _made_ the 'Cat in the Hat' reference about "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" she would most definitely kill him. And she was sure the jury would understand her and let her walk.

"There you are, we were just wondering when you were coming back," Alexis raised from the floor where a bunch of Lily's stuffed animals seemed to have had a tea party.

"Thank you so much for taking care of her," Kate hugged Alexis who immediately hugged her back.

"No problem! I love spending time with my lill sis," she said and attacked Lily with her tickling fingers.

Lily immediately scream-laughed and squirmed in her father's arms.

"Stop, Lex, stop!" she laughed.

The room was filled with laughter as all four of them watched the happy three year old. Alexis stopped tickling her baby sister and kissed her cheek. After a growl from Castle's stomach they all agreed to eat some lunch, which Alexis agreed to stay for, and since the small girl almost fell asleep by the table it didn't take long before she was out in her small bed. Kate came down into the living room, after putting her daughter to sleep, to a sight of Alexis and Castle putting away the last things from their lunch. The second the redhead noticed Kate coming back she turned her full attention to the two of them.

"So?" she asked with a meaningful look at them, waiting for answers to a question she hadn't voiced.

"'So' what?" Castle asked and Kate rolled her eyes.

"How did it go? Did you get a picture? Come on, I wanna see my new baby sister och brother!" she said excitedly.

Kate couldn't stop the growl as Castle's eyes shone brighter than a day.

"You mean sister _s_ or brother _s_ ," he commented, putting some extra weight on the plural, and Alexis' head snapped towards him.

"Wait, what? You're saying..." her head snapped towards Kate with big shocked eyes.

"Twins," Kate muttered and froze when Alexis jumped towards her, flinging her arms around her.

"Oh my god! Congratulations! This is absolutely amazing!" she shrieked and Castle hushed but Kate could see he was extremely satisfied with his daughter's reaction.

"Thanks pumpkin," Castle said and Kate could see he was finally getting a response he wanted.

Kate felt kind of guilty, here she was, moping because she was afraid, and all he wanted was the same excitement he felt. After all they were having kids together, sure it were twins and sure it would be a lot of work but... they were _still_. _Having. Kids. Together._

"How are you feeling Kate? Does it feel any different from when you were expecting Lily?" Alexis asked with the same curiosity you could often find in her father's eyes.

"I'm not so sure yet, I think it's too soon to tell," Kate said shyly.

"Oh okay, let me know when you do! I think I better go, I have work in the morning," Alexis told them before she first kissed Kate's cheek and then Castle's.

The second she had left Kate felt Castle's eyes land on her. When she met his eyes he looked at her with a calm and sincere look.

"Kate, I know twins wasn't exactly what we expected but..." Kate held up her hand, shaking her head while she walked towards him, shutting him up.

"No, I'm sorry Castle, of course I want them, of course I already love them!" she felt stupid for her behavior today. "I'm just..." she took a deep breath, "afraid."

Castle looked at her with surprised eyes, "afraid? Of what?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "everything." When his eyes didn't look any more understanding she bit her lip. "I'm afraid that I won't be good enough, that I won't be able to take care of them, that it'll be too many. We have Lily too, and I'm still not sure I'm good enough for her..."

" _That_ 's what you're afraid of? Kate," Castle took her hands in his to pull her close enough to look deep into her eyes, "you're an amazing mom. Can't you see that? Every time Lily looks at you her eyes sparkle! And considering I've already experienced a _not_ so good mother with Meredith you are already the best mom our kids could ever have!"

Castle couldn't believe his ears! How could someone so extraordinary be worried about not being enough for her kids?! He had wished many times before that she could see herself in his eyes and right at that moment he would do anything to make her see how perfectly amazing she was.

"Besides, you're not alone in any of this, you got me," he assured her, pulling her into his chest to hug her tight as he kissed the top of her head.

Her insides flipped at that. He was right, she wouldn't be alone. He'd be there all the way just like the last time, no matter how many times she threatened to shoot him. She snuggled closer into his chest and breathed in his calming scent, knowing just what a soothing effect it had on her body and mind.

"Thank you Castle," she mumbled and felt his lips in her hair.

"Always Kate, always," he promised.

* * *

"There there, I'm here," Castle said soothingly into her ear as he held back her hair.

As soon as she had a break she turned her head away from the toilet.

"I will fonting shoot you if you ever touch me again!" she growled and Castle couldn't wait until this morning sickness would disappear.

But he made sure not to show any of the hurt he felt from her words, because even if they did hurt he also knew it was the hormones talking, she didn't actually mean any of the mean things that left her mouth every now and then. Especially considering how she sometimes cried in his arms begging for forgiveness, begging for him not to ever leave her. It was awful seeing her acting like this, the ordinary strong, independent Beckett was now vulnerable and easy tempered.

Kate _hated_ this. She _hated_ feeling sick. And most of all she absolutely _despised_ throwing up, especially in front of her husband. She didn't want him to see this, she didn't want him near her because, one, this was all his fault, and two, she didn't want him to see her weakened state. Okay, so it might not have been _only_ his fault, it takes two to get into this situation, but _still!_ She needed someone to blame and she knew deep down it wasn't fair but... he just had to take the blame. For now. As soon as she felt safe enough she flushed the toilet and walked over to the sink to brush her teeth.

"Is mommy sick?" both parents immediately looked at their three year old standing in the doorway with her small soft elephant in her arms.

When Castle met Kate's eyes they were wide, and he turned to their daughter to shake his head.

"No, nugget, your mommy's not sick, don't you worry," he said in a soft voice, left Kate's side to pick up the little girl in his arms.

"Then why she throw up?" Lily asked and Castle could almost bet all his money on the fact that Lily would make as great detective as her mother, if she'd like.

Castle didn't dare answer, they hadn't exactly talked about when to tell her. They'd both agree they'd wait but that didn't include actually lying to her if she somehow suspected something was out of the ordinary. Kate spit out the toothpaste and walked up to her family, looking Castle in his eyes. When she nodded he immediately took action by taking her hand in his to steer their small, soon big, family towards their kingsized bed.

"Lily, there's something we wanna tell you," Castle said while they all sat down.

Lily placed herself between her parents to be able to be close to them both, Kate wondered if it was to feel safe.

"What's wrong?" Lily asked with big eyes filled with fear, looking between both of them.

"You know how Sarah Grace is a big sister? How she has a younger brother?" Kate asked and Lily immediately nodded.

"Yes, Nick," she notified.

Kate nodded and looked over at Castle who had a proud smile on his face.

"Well, it looks like you're gonna be a big sister too," Kate delivered carefully, not sure how her daughter would react.

"Me? Big sister?!" Lily asked with shock before she yelled out in excitement.

Kate was surprised by the small girl's excitement but, oh, so grateful. She hadn't known what to do if her daughter wouldn't have wanted to become a big sister.

"Yes, you're gonna have two baby brothers or sisters, or one of each," Castle said and Lily looked confused.

"Two?" she asked and Kate rolled her eyes at her chuckling husband.

"Yes, you see, we're having twins," he said excited and Kate could see their daughter didn't quite follow but she seemed to mirror her father's excitement anyway, which had Kate chuckling.

Another thing she hated about this was all the damn hormones, one minute she was yelling at Castle for doing this, the other she was laughing and the third she was crying. Which was the minute she was right in now.

"Why are you crying mommy?" Lily asked and Kate managed to wipe her tears before her daughter threw her small arms around her neck to hug her tight. "Don't cry mommy."

Kate saw Castle smile with a big sincere look on his face.

"Don't worry Lily, they're happy tears," Kate snuggled into her daughter anyway, breathing in her wonderful scent.

"Okay," her daughter whispered and kissed her mother's cheek.

Castle was in awe of the scene happening in front of him. He knew their daughter was sympathetic but he'd never figured she would show it so literally. It filled his heart with love how her mood had immediately changed when she saw the tears in her mother's eyes, and how she had thrown her arms around her in an instant to make her feel better. He couldn't wait till their little ones would come too.

* * *

2 am. It was _fonting 2 AM_ and she had woken to literally nothing. But wait, maybe she had woken to something. She turned towards her husband only to see he was fast asleep, and was yet again reminded of the hot dream she'd just woken from. She felt her cheeks turn hot from the blush and considered what she was going to do. It was technically Saturday, her weekend off and Lily was without a doubt asleep. She didn't think her husband would mind, if anything he would quite enjoy it, or at least that's what she told herself as she started running feather-light fingers up and down his chest. Before she could regret her decision she carefully leaned in to kiss his neck, attentively nipping his delicious skin with her teeth.

Castle stirred awake not too long after she'd begun her small demonstrations and he immediately felt his body react to them, to _her_. Before she could react, before she could even know he was awake, he gripped her hand and spun them around to pin her towards their bed, crashing his lips onto hers in a passionate kiss. He both felt and heard the moan traveling in her throat and couldn't stop but deepen the kiss even more. Their tongues battled for dominance and it took several minutes before Kate finally gave him the honor. Castle might be pinning her body but Kate could feel he was extremely aware and carefully of her 20 week baby bump which only grew for each day. It truly wasn't that big, _yet_ , but they were both very aware of it and made sure they didn't risk anything. Kate had thought Castle would want nothing to do with her body when she was bigger, even though he'd shown _great_ interest when she'd been pregnant with Lily. Now she was certain he would though, every touch was so intensified with all the heightened hormones she almost wished she could feel like this for the rest of her life, almost. He touched her, rubbed her, kissed her, in all the right places and with all the right moves. She was a moaning mess and once they joined she could swear she was in heaven.

"I guess you were having one of those dreams again?" Castle smirked after they'd finally caught their breaths.

"Maybe," she panted, biting her lower lip.

Castle chuckled and turned to his side to be able to watch his beautiful wife. Wife. He would never get tired of hearing that. She was his _wife_. Katherine Houghton Beckett Castle was his wife. _And_ they had a _daughter_. _And_ they were waiting _twins_! His life couldn't be more complete.

"I love you," Castle said and Kate turned her head to look at him.

"I love you too, more than you can ever imagine," she replied with a big, happy grin.

"I'm pretty sure I can imagine," he insisted crawling a bit closer to kiss her gently.

She smiled through the kiss and as they pulled apart she snuggled into his body, putting her head on his chest.

"You know, I can't wait to meet them," she confessed without really deciding on it.

She felt his breath freeze before his arms hugged her tighter to him and breathing in her scent through her hair.

"I can't wait to meet them either, only half time left," he mumbled.

Finally, she thought. She couldn't wait until she would be back to normal size and could do her work properly. She missed sparring, especially since her and her husband had found a proper place to spar without anyone seeing their intense moves that often ended up a little hotter than appropriate. She missed not being so tired all the time, even though she knew they wouldn't get much sleep once they were born at least that would be because of the _lack_ of sleep and not because she was carrying two babies in her belly. Kate noticed she was almost asleep again when her husband moved away from her and she almost whimpered at the loss but didn't get the chance to before she felt his hands on her belly, stroking and his lips kissed it gently.

"Did you hear that? Mommy is as excited to meet you as you are to meet her. I know she can seem a bit non-excited sometimes, but that's just because she has a lot on her plates. You will see she loves her job, and not being able to work like she use to can make her a bit grumpy, but she loves the both of you. Just like she loves me even though she's said a lot of things stating otherwise these couple of weeks," he paused, and she was about to open her eyes and protest. Say that she was sorry about all of that but he managed to continue before she had the chance. "I love your mommy more than I've ever loved any other woman before, and I know I will love you just as much as I love both your bigger sisters. No matter what you choose to do in life, as long as you don't become criminals because both me and your mom would hate to arrest you."

She giggled and when she opened her eyes she saw him smiling up at her. She suddenly felt a kick against where he held his hand and his eyes widened while she couldn't help but smile wider.

"I think they heard you," she whispered and he nodded excitedly.

"Kick again if you want mommy to kiss me," Castle challenged and Kate rolled her eyes but where surprised to actually feel another kick land on the spot he held his hand.

"You're pathetic," she told him as she put her hand in his hair to pull him up.

"Well, it worked didn't it?" he smirked as their lips fused together once again.

"I suppose, but you're still pathetic," she mumbled against his lips and moaned when he deepened the kiss.

It didn't take long before the two of them gone too far to stop, and it was even more heated than the first time.

* * *

"Oh come on guys! Let me take him!" Kate was so sick of not getting to interrogate the suspects, especially when she was the one who caught the guy in the first place!

"Beckett, there's no way we're letting you anywhere near that guy," Esposito held his hands in front of her, keeping her from shoving past him into the interrogation room.

She growled, because it was so _unfair_ that Ryan, Esposito _and_ Castle were ganging up against her to keep her from doing what she loved. Serving justice.

"What's going on?" Castle asked coming from the break room and now she knew she was too late.

Castle would cuff her and tie her to her desk before letting her inside that room. Sighing loud she groaned and crossed her arms in frustration.

"Your pregnant wife here just tried to sneak past us," Ryan stated, standing beside his partner.

"Good thing we were quicker, at least something good coming out of the clumsiness," Esposito added giving Kate a glare.

"Seriously Kate?! You gotta stop with this, it's only a couple weeks left now," Castle argued, putting his arms around her body to slowly drag her towards the observation as the guys went into the interrogation.

"This is your fault," Kate growled as they were out of the curious ears in the bullpen.

Castle rolled his eyes, as he had done multiple times the last weeks. He loved his wife but this was starting to get ridiculous. Good thing she was in week 35, which meant the twins would hopefully arrive in a week or two. At least that's what they had both read about twin pregnancies, the babies usually come earlier. Kate shrugged out of his arms and put a small distance between them.

"Come on Kate, you know why you can't be in there," he sighed, they'd had this conversations hundreds of times the last 8 months. "If they somehow got to you and hurt you they might hurt the twins, and you don't want that, do you?" he questioned rhetorically.

"No," Kate grumbled with an exhausted sigh of her own, "it's just so frustrating."

Castle moved to stand behind her, carefully stroking his fingers up and down her arms when they uncrossed.

"I know, I know," he whispered in her ear as she leaned her back to his chest.

She felt his fingers fiddle with hers and her veins went static. Her shiver gave her feelings away and his lips touched her temple. Faster than a blink of an eye Kate had turned to lock her lips with his, kissing him with the same electricity he had just sent through her veins.

"Mm, Kate... precinct," Castle muttered, having a hard time pulling away from those oh, so soft, hypnotizing lips.

"It's not like you've cared before," Kate whispered in a seductive voice, biting her lip and he knew he should stop her.

This wasn't like the other times. The other times they'd been way out of the possibility of being exposed. It took all of his brain power to put his hands on his wife's arms and push her away. He thanked the gods when they heard a knock on the door right before she could have the chance to get sad or angry with him.

"We got the confession," Ryan said poking in his head.

Kate's cheeks went flushed and Castle caught Ryan's questioning eyes but shook his head to stop him from actually asking.

"Good, lets do the paperwork and head home," Castle took a hold of Kate's hand and as her cheeks slowly turned back to normal they walked back out to the bullpen.

The couple did the paperwork together, it wasn't really strange that Castle helped out anymore. Sure he still found it boring but knowing they could come home faster to their daughter and be free from all the bad guys made it worth the few minutes of boredom.

"Night guys!" the two of them called out to the detectives as they walked out of Kate's office.

"Night Castles!" Ryan called out while Esposito added a "night cap!" of his own.

When they were in the elevator Kate opened her mouth but kept her eyes straight forward in order to avoid looking at her husband.

"Sorry for earlier," she murmured and felt his eyes land on her.

"For what?" he asked, but she knew he knew exactly what he was talking about.

"Please don't make me say it," she held her pokerface pretty good, he must give her that.

The chuckle that escaped his lungs had her send a death glare his way.

"Don't worry about it," he nudged her shoulder with his in a playful matter, which resulted in exactly the way he hoped. A shy smile.

When the elevator arrived at the lobby their hands clasped together and they walked out of their second home to go to their first, where a certain little girl was being babysit by her gram.

* * *

Kate got into labor not more than a week later, giving birth to two healthy baby boys. Which, to Castle's big delight, meant there would not only be a loft filled with girls anymore. Kate couldn't be more than happy, she had three healthy babies and a big goof to husband who were nothing but amazing as a dad. She couldn't wait to see what they would all be doing together. Every picnic, every event, every story time. Lily would often get as hypnotized as Castle's stories as Kate would, and she had no doubts the boys would be the same.

"You're amazing," Castle whispered into Kate's ear as they stood in front of the twins's crib with a sleeping Lily in the arms of her mom.

" _We_ 're amazing," Kate whispered back giving her husband a kiss to the cheek before she looked down at their kids again.

* * *

 _THE END_


	18. Chapter 18 - Curam

_Prompt: Kate comes home late after a long day with a hard case, involving a lot of walking, and her feet hurt. She sits down carefully in bed and starts rubbing her feet. She gets startled when Castle starts rubbing her back, not knowing she had woken him up._

* * *

Kate grunted as she put the key in the door to unlock and finally, _finally_ , walk inside her home. Her feet were sore from all the running and walking during the case. They had gotten multiple suspects almost immediately and none of them, _none of them_ , allowed her nor her partners any rest. They all ran from them and forced them to chasing them for multiple blocks. God had she hated this case from the beginning! When she pulled off her shoes she kept in the painful groan that raised in her throat. It hurt _so damn bad_. This was the worst ache she'd had in her feet in _years_. She locked the door and sneaked through the loft towards the bedroom she shared with her husband. Stopping at the bedroom door she couldn't help but look at him. She'd texted him and told him to not stay up because she had known it would be a tough case. He'd of course called her and said he was on his way but she had stopped him, knowing he needed to write and get the sleep. He was beautiful when he slept, breathing so deep and looking so peaceful it made her heart skip a beat. She was so in love with him that she could stand and watch him for hours to no end. Though her feet truly was killing her. She tiptoed to her side of the bed, sat down carefully, as to not wake him, and pulled up her right foot. She started massaging it and mentally slapping herself for wearing those stupid ass heels today, why couldn't she sometimes just choose to wear sneakers? She gave up a deep, but silent, sigh and switched foot to rub her left one too. Her whole body jumped and she yelped when she suddenly felt a hand land on her back.

"Sorry, didn't mean to scare you," he mumbled and she turned around to see her husband peek at her through tired eyes.

He had somehow, _god how tired was she even_ , managed to sit up and move closer to her without her noticing. Some detective she is...

"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" she asked low, careful not to startle him with a too loud voice.

"Not really, been half awake in order to hear when you get home," he murmured and kissed her dressed shoulder as he let his hand start rubbing soothing circles on her back.

"I told you to sleep," she complained lazily, truthfully she was glad he was awake.

It meant she wouldn't accidentally wake him up by tripping over her own feet. Her sore fonting feet which hurt worse than she wanted to admit.

"I couldn't knowing my beautiful wife hadn't come home to safety yet," he said and she felt his nose in her hair, sniffing her scent.

She found it sweet. Found _him_ sweet. He surely was too good to her.

"I'll just go change, there's no way I'm sleeping in my work clothes," she told him and before she raised he made sure to kiss her temple.

When she put weight on her feet she couldn't help but gasp at the pain which, of course, caused an immediate response from him.

"What's wrong?"

He was already on his feet and standing in front of her, his hands carefully holding her arms while his eyes searched her body for the reason behind her pain.

"It's nothing Castle, just had to run a lot during the case today so my feet hurt."

Before she could react he had swooped her up in his arms and was carrying her to the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" she hissed in shock.

"You're not walking any more today, let me help you," he explained, or perhaps it was more of a demand but still.

"I can handle it Castle, put me down," she insisted but he shook his head.

"I know you can, but let me help you," he said in a there's-nothing-more-to-talk-about tone.

She rolled her eyes and sighed, but if she was honest to herself she liked Castle taking care of her. He always made sure to make her feel so special and he knew her inside and out, which meant he somehow knew everything she needed at every moment. He didn't put her down again until she was finished in the bathroom and had the clothing part left. He laid her down on her side of the bed and started undressing her despite her comments about how she could manage on her own. He kept repeating that he knew she could but that she didn't have to. Once he had removed everything but her panties she almost thought he would leave her like that but to her relief he grabbed the shirt she'd stolen from him and helped her put it on. The second she was finished he told her to sit up while he went to put the clothes in the basket where they put their clothes that needed cleaning. She followed his every move with her eyes wondering how she could've found such an amazing man. Or, perhaps it had been him who found her? She figured it depended how you saw it since, sure, she'd been the one who looked him up to ask questions about the murders from his books but then again it had been him who decided to stay with her.

"What are you looking at?" Castle interrupted her thoughts as he came back to the bed.

"My lovely husband," she answered and the grin growing on his lips made her own pull up in a big smile.

She was surprised when he sat down by her feet and didn't make any suggestions into moving towards his own half. The moan escaping her lips when his fingers started rubbing one of her feet had her cheeks blushing deep. She had _not_ expected him to give her a foot massage at this hour.

"You like that?" he chuckled and she muttered a 'shut up' as her eyes went closed at the pleasure.

Sure it hurt like hell but at least it was a _good_ hurt, a _pleasurable_ hurt. She couldn't keep down her moans and even though she found it so incredibly embarrassing she was glad he got to hear exactly what he was doing to her. His fingers worked magic and it didn't take too long before her feet weren't nearly as sore as they had been and before she could tell him it was enough she felt his lips kissing her feet.

"Better?" he asked as he moved towards his side of the bed, sitting down next to her.

"Yeah, thanks babe," she leaned towards him to kiss his lips.

"Always."

She smiled at their word and snuggled into his cozy chest as he put his arm around her body.

"So you caught the guy?" his voice was calm, she figured it was in order to either let her go to sleep if she wanted or to keep her calm in case it had gone bad somehow.

"Mhmm, took a while, and a lot of running, but eventually we did," she put her hand over his chest in order to snuggle even closer, inhaling his wonderful scent.

"That's good," he kissed the top of her hair, "you wanna sleep or do you wanna relax and watch a movie?"

She could still hear the sleep in his voice which was why she was surprised he even brought up an option other than sleep, but then again she knew he'd do anything for her.

"Sleep, we can watch a movie tomorrow, I took the day off saying I wasn't feeling too good," she admitted and she could feel the surprised look he was giving her.

"You _lied_? Katherine Beckett lying to her boss?" he mocked with a gasp and she carefully hit him in his chest.

He chuckled at that sliding their bodies down under the covers. She felt her eyes drop a little more for each breath she took.

"Night babe," she managed to whisper and before the darkness overtook her she could hear him say the same.

* * *

Kate Beckett woke up to the feeling of fingers traveling feather-light down her face features. Her lips turned up at the tingling it left behind and she knew she had alerted her husband about her waking up.

"Heey," Castle greeted in a whisper and she popped an eye open to look at her husband.

"Heey," she mumbled and while he continued she hummed, "that's nice."

"You like this?" he asked as his fingers slid up and down her face.

"Mhmm," she smiled, it felt so good she could barely keep her eyes open.

His other hand carefully started fiddling with her hair, massaging her scalp in a very satisfying way.

"What time is it?" she asked, because she knew it couldn't be early if he woke her up.

He never woke her up unless it was an emergency or if she was about to sleep for too long.

"It's almost 11am," he replied and she had her eyes widen at the shock.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" she questioned and was about to sit up but his hand, the one that had been stroking her facial features, landed on her chest to indicate for her to stay down.

"I couldn't bring myself to disturb your peaceful sleep. Plus, you know, you look absolutely adorable when you sleep," he admitted while looking down into her eyes, seeing her cheeks flush at his confession.

"Staring is still creepy you know," she said with her voice low, biting her lip.

"Oh, I know, but you do it too," he countered, teasing.

Even though she knew he was right she rolled her eyes, grabbing the hand he still held on her chest to pull it to her lips. She placed a kiss on it before she gently laid it down on her belly and interlocked their fingers. His other hand was still in her hair, massaging gently.

"You're a goof," she complained.

"And you married me."

His reply had her snorting, but she immediately stopped and moaned when his lips were suddenly got attached to hers. The kiss started of as a way to shut her up in a satisfying way but before any of the two knew it, the kiss deepened and his hand left hers to go under her, well his, shirt. It felt like her skin was on fire and it always surprised her how his touch could still feel like that first time. How her body always burned when his was tangled with hers. How his lips left a trail of need and want as they traveled along her body. Always as intense as that first time. It didn't take long for her shirt to be on the floor along with his, it took about as long time for his lips to go down her body and she gasped when his tongue got in contact with her navel.

Castle loved how easily he could turn his wife into a moaning mess. Of course the fact that he could, only made him as turned on as she was. He kissed her through her panties, making sure she could feel every move of his lips. It resulted in her fingers sneaking into his hair, tugging at it to indicate she wanted him to come up to her. He decided to obey her, this time, and kissed his way up her body, stopping by her breasts to give them some attention that had his name coming out her mouth like a beautiful prayer. When his nose brushed hers their eyes locked, ocean blues staring into hazel green. Kate's smile had his heart throbbing and he couldn't quite believe she was his, that he was hers. It all felt like a beautiful dream. Yet he knew with certainty it was true, he had pinched himself to make sure of it too many times to count. They got rid of their underwear with practiced moves and as soon as their lips connected so did their bodies. Being so intimate had always driven them both crazy. 'Making love' being a phrase none of them had truly believed in before they'd fallen in bed together. It was a good thing Martha and Alexis weren't home because Kate couldn't keep quiet as the ecstasy hit her like a rocket. Their kisses turned sloppy, tired, and she bit his lip a little before her smile was too big for their lips to stay together.

"Something other than coffee making you smile in the morning," Castle teased and if it hadn't been for the bliss she felt she'd roll her eyes.

"Shut up," she panted pushing him off her so she could follow into a cuddly position.

He chuckled tightening his grip on her in a hugging matter but the second she snuggled her nose into the crook of his neck and placed a wet kiss there he fell quiet. She scraped her teeth to his skin and his shiver made her smirk.

"That got you to shut up," she mocked, putting her head on his shoulder.

Castle was at a loss of words and gasped in order to catch his breath again. The second he got a grip on himself he let his fingers run up and down her naked back with a feathery touch, making it her turn to shiver.

"So, what do you wanna do on your 'sick' day?" he asked making the quotations in the air with his free hand.

Kate bit her lips before she fake-coughed and replied, "maybe watch a movie with my warm and snuggly husband."

"Mmm, sounds nice," he hummed kissing the top of her head.

"But first I wanna enjoy some more snuggle-time in bed," she felt so happy right there in his arms and she didn't want to leave just yet.

They stayed like that, naked, blissfully happy and tangled together until they got hungry. Then they dressed in their comfiest clothes to go make lunch. With their bellies full they got blankets and cuddled together on the couch to a movie they chose. It didn't surprise her that they ended up watching another one after the first was finished, despite anything she _did_ marry a big child. And it didn't surprise _him_ that she ended up falling asleep against him when they were watching their fifth movie. As soon as the movie had ended he carried her into their bedroom, carefully putting her down on her side of the bed and just like the night before he changed her clothes for her. She only just stirred awake when he joined her under the sheets, she was half awake and half asleep as she crept into his side and put her head on his chest.

"Thank you," she whispered gently and his eyes were filled with wonder.

"What for?" he asked back, just as gentle.

"For today, for being you, for everything else," she managed to whisper before the sleepiness took over again.

"Always," he whispered even though he knew she had fallen victim for the sleep.

He kissed the top of her head before he turned off the lights and joined her.

* * *

 _THE END_


	19. Chapter 19 - Mystery in LA

_Prompt: What if she opened the door before he reached his room in 3x22 To love and die in L.A._

* * *

"And Royce tries to change the game. He goes to New York. Home field advantage," Kate added to Castle's theorizing. "Classic. Classic Royce," she added biting her lip.

It was so comforting sitting there, talking to Castle that she couldn't stop before she opened her mouth again.

"I was so in awe of him, Castle," she told him. "When I first met him. I just hung on his every word," it was supporting to see he followed her every word. She smiled before she told him more, "and then later I realized he was just making up stories to mess with me." He chuckled at that and she remembered all these old memories would stay just that, old memories. "I can't believe that I'm never going to see him again."

Castle observed his partner, how she tried her best not to break apart in front of him, and couldn't help but wonder how this must be a small part of how she must've been when her mother died. He so badly wanted to cheer her up, and so he decided to tell her something he hadn't let her know before.

"Do you know what I thought when I first met you?" he asked, seeing her turn her head towards him.

"Hm?"

"That you were a mystery I was never gonna solve." He could see she was listening closely. "Even now, after spending all this time with you, I'm-I'm still amazed at the depths of your strength, and your heart."

Their eyes were locked into each others, and he couldn't stop himself from opening his mouth again, "and your hotness."

That made her smile through the sorrow he could see she felt, and he was quite surprised by her comeback.

"You're not so bad yourself, Castle."

Kate immediately saw his surprise, and the way he'd cheered her up made her want to kiss him. They were in this unusual position and she just wanted to act on the feelings she'd had since he left her to go to the Hamptons with his ex-wife. His deep ocean blue eyes had her insides melting, the way they looked into her hazel greens like he was looking right into her soul. They were in a complete different city, they were at a hotel together, sitting on the couch, telling each other deeper things than she had ever intended revealing to him, and she found herself wanting more with him. What _would_ happen if she kissed him? She was almost leaning in when she suddenly caught up with her thoughts and stopped herself. The fear filled her body, fear of falling for him and getting hurt, again.

"I should go," she managed to get out, raising from the couch." It's late. Good night."

She quickly escaped to her room, he said her name but she made sure not to turn around to look at him until she was at the door. She gripped the door handle and let out a quick breath before she said "good night, Castle" and closed the door before he could form any type of answer. The second the door was closed she let go of the handle and leaned against the door. She could hear his words in her mind, _I'm still amazed by the depths of your strength, and your heart_. Why would he make it so hard not to fall for him?! Why was he so sweet to her? And what did he see in her that made him be amazed by her? _And your hotness_ , those three words had her insides clench with a need she wasn't used to having. A need not even her own _boyfriend_ could emphasize, and Castle drew it out only by words! Then again, he had, of course, done that before but through his books. She wondered what would happen if he kissed her, touched her. She had almost found that out. Tonight. God, what would have happened if she kissed him? Was he about to kiss her too? What was he about to say before she cut him off by closing the door? Should she go out there again? See if he's still there, on the couch, waiting if she would come back out again. How hard could it be, pushing down the handle and opening the door? Would he still be there? If he felt the same as she did then he would be, right? Before she could stop herself she opened the door and when she saw the empty couch she felt her heart sink, he was gone.

"Kate?" her head snapped to his voice where he stood in front of his bedroom door.

She suddenly felt insecure, what was she doing?

"I-I-Uh."

Castle had wide eyes, probably as shocked about her coming back out as she was. She was at a loss of words, and before she could figure out what to say or what to do he had opened his mouth again.

"What's wrong?" Castle asked, his blue eyes now filled with concern as he slowly took a few steps closer to her.

She couldn't help but let go of a chuckle at that.

" 'What's wrong?' Yeah, what is _not_ wrong?" she questioned running her hands through her hair as she watched his body come closer to her.

"What do you mean?" he asked carefully, and her eyes started to water.

"What do I mean? Mike was killed, I was kicked off the case, you _followed_ me here and got into this mess with me and no one has ever had my back like that before," her voice trembled because there was so much she wanted to do right in that moment.

She wanted to kiss him for everything he did for her, she wanted to cry because one of her dear old friends were dead and she wanted to... She didn't know what she wanted anymore. He was making her feel things she shouldn't be feeling. Before she knew it he was right in front of her and she fell with her head onto his chest.

"I'm sorry Beckett, I just thought you shouldn't do this alone," his voice was low, concerned and she shook her head.

"No, Castle, don't be sorry," she whispered before she looked up at him, way closer than she'd ever been to him before.

Their eyes got contact, their noses were almost touching and the fact that she only needed to step on her toes for their lips to brush was suddenly all she could think about. Her eyes flicked down to his lips and as her mind imagined what they would feel like her teeth sunk into her bottom lip. She wondered if his lips would be soft, or rough, or passionate. Suddenly she wasn't wondering anymore, she crashed her lips on his and moaned at the immediate satisfaction shooting down her body. Their lips was ripped apart when Castle suddenly pushed her away.

"What are... what...?" Castle's words was barely bale to leave his mouth through the shock he felt.

Kate bit her lip, not sure if she knew anything except for the aching lust she felt for him.

"You're here, with me," she whispered and was about to kiss him again but stopped herself at the thought that perhaps he didn't want her like that.

She looked away from him to try and gather back her thoughts, try and get rid of the need she was filled with. When she glanced up into his eyes she saw his eyes had darkened and he was very much staring her her with a look she'd seen a few times before. His eyes told her he wanted this as much as she did and so she did exactly what she desired, claiming his lips once again. Castle let out a growl as he suddenly pushed her into her room, his hand around her neck to pull her lips closer to his as he kissed her back. His lower lip got sucked into her mouth and when she bit it gently he growled again and she couldn't stop the tingling feeling going down in arousal. Kate's legs suddenly bumped into her bed and she fell down, landing on her back with Castle laying down on top of her. She chuckled as his lips left her lips to kiss down her neck and she whimpered at the sensation striking her when his tongue ran over her neck before he started sucking, hard, at her skin.

"Oh, Castle," she gasped, and the way his name could finally leave her lips sent electricity down her body.

She had dreamed of moments like this one so many times, when he made her scream and squirm to his touch. She wriggled under him to create some friction and it resulted in his hips moving in sync with hers.

"Kate, we should stop," Castle mumbled against the bare skin revealed between her neck and her shoulder thanks to the wide neckline of her shirt.

"Yes, but no, please," Castle felt both surprise and a small fear rise in his body at her words.

He didn't want her to see this as a mistake, he didn't want this to only be a one time thing, he didn't want her to push him away because of something stupid they did in the moment. He wanted her so bad, he'd wanted her for forever now but he didn't want her to regret it. His lips stopped their assault on her naked skin and rested his face in her neck, much to her disappointment.

"Castle, why'd you stop?" she groaned and he couldn't stop the nervous chuckle from escaping his throat.

Where did he suddenly get all this strength from? She had thought that once she kissed him there would be no turning back. Hadn't he wanted her since day one? She more felt than heard him taking a deep breath, she figured it was to summon courage to tell her what was wrong.

"You will regret it, and then never speak to me again, and no matter how much I want this I won't survive that," he mumbled in a defeated tone.

Kate put one of her hands on his cheek to bring him up to her, seeking eye contact with him.

"No, I won't," she said before attacking his lips again, moaning when she felt him finally letting go by pushing his body into hers.

One of his hands landed on her hip with such tenderness that she immediately understood he was still unsure of what they were doing, and so she let her own hand grab his to slip it underneath her shirt. She carefully let go of her grip, but made sure to continue hold her hand on top of his to give him the comfort he needed, and it sent a joy of pleasure as his hand cupped her bra-covered breast. As soon as he started the massage that she could swear would be the death of her, she let go of his hand to be able to start unbuttoning his shirt. The only reason their lips parted was to be able to get her out of her shirt so their chests could come skin to skin, and feeling his skin on hers had her burning with a desire she had never felt before. When his hands went around her she arched her back to give him enough space to unclasp her bra. The second the clothing were out of the way his mouth claimed one of her breasts and had her scream out his name. Her fingers fiddled their way into his hair and as he made her squirm under his wet kisses and sucking. She couldn't stop all the sounds coming out of her mouth, feeling her whole skin flush at the embarrassment she felt for not being able to keep the noises inside. It was so weird how easy he got her moaning, and how she had never experienced this kind of pleasure before. No one had ever made her feel the way his tongue was making her insides flip as he continued to lick and suck on her breasts, making sure both got equal attention before he left a wet trail of kisses on her neck and jaw and eventually ended on her lips again. Kate was suddenly grateful she had taken off her socks before, made it a lot easier for her to pull down his pants with the help of her toes. Castle growled with shock at that, and their lips were pulled apart due to the smirk appearing on her lips.

"Naughty," his voice was low and a lot darker, sexier, than she's ever heard it before.

She got stuck in his blue, lust-filled eyes and she bit her lip at how amazing this all felt. His eyes changed in front of her, got a gentler, more serious glimpse in them.

"You know, we could stop."

Her eyes went wide open at that.

"What? No!"

She was way too aroused to stop, and he should be able to both _see_ and _feel_ that by now! He chuckled at her reaction. He couldn't help it! The way she was acting all desperate made him feel like she'd actually wanted this for as long as he had. Suddenly she grabbed and started stroking him through his boxers which immediately got him to thrust once into her hand.

"Kate! What the..." he didn't get to finish his small scream before she cut him off.

"You're as far gone as I am," she smirked and he decided to get back at her by pushing his lips onto hers as a cover to quickly slip his hand into her tights and panties.

She gasped as his fingers slid into her and she moaned his name. Feeling how wet she was, and finally having an idea of what he was doing to her, he made sure to loose the last of her clothing and, to his satisfaction, it didn't take long before she had gotten rid of his boxers too. Connecting to each other in the most intimate position possible had them both gasping for air, their fingers tracing patterns on each other's bodies as if it was the the first and last thing they would ever do, their tongues were moving together in a dance so familiar it was like they had done this thousands of times. The rest of the night involved a lot of screams and moaning in a white bliss that lit up the dark of the night.

* * *

Waking up feeling sore and exhausted wasn't something Kate Beckett was normally used to. Which was why she found it extremely strange when she turned her body and a pain, sure it was satisfying but still pain, shooting down her muscles. She groaned and wondered what the hell she had done to her muscles to deserve such pain. Remembering the events of last night she immediately froze, resulting in another pain traveling down her body, and opened her eyes to search for the man she had, oh god, what had she done? When she met his eyes she was surprised to see them open, watching her with a carefulness she hadn't witnessed in his blues before. Her eyes immediately left his, looking down in embarrassment as her cheeks turned red. That's when she noticed she was still naked, fortunately she, or maybe he, had hid her body under the sheets. She pulled the sheets closer to her as she bit her lip. It wasn't that she regretted what they'd done, really it wasn't, but it had been so inappropriate of her to take advantage of him like that. And, god, she was still together with Josh! She put a hand on her face in an attempt to hide, what had she done?

"I'm sorry," his sudden whisper had her snapping her eyes to him again with shock shining in her face.

"Why? What for?" she choked out through her messed up emotions.

"I shouldn't have used you like that, I should've walked out of here before... I should've stopped," he whispered, his voice broken, and she wasn't sure if it was due to their activities or if it was his own emotions choking him up.

"No, no no no, it's not your fault, I'm sorry I..." she took a deep breath before she said, with as strong of a voice as she could muster, "well, honestly, I'm not sorry we did what we did, but I am sorry for not giving you much of a choice."

His eyes widened at her words, and she would pay anything in the world to get inside his head, seeing what that beautiful mind was thinking, because he looked as though he was in shock and trying to puzzle something together. It was silent for a few minutes before she couldn't take it anymore.

"Please say something Castle, if you really consider this a mistake I need to know. And I need to know if... if you don't want... uh, this."

His eyes widened at her before his head shook violently against the extra pillow he had his head on.

"No, Kate, no mistake for my part! I just, I thought you..." he sighed, "I thought you would regret it, want this to be undone, never to speak about it again."

"No, why... you really take me for that kind of girl?" she whispered and she could see he bit his cheek before he shook his head in a regretful matter.

"No, but things between you and me haven't exactly involved talking," he explained, his cheeks getting a small red.

She 'oh'ed, because he was only telling the truth. They didn't exactly talk, especially not about their feelings. She wondered what was going on in his mind right now, especially since she could see how he was working so hard to keep his eyes from darting down. The knowledge of that sent a bolt of tingles down her and she couldn't stop herself from letting the sheets slide down her body to see the reaction he'd have. To her satisfaction his eyes widened and darted down to the newly exposed skin right above her chest.

"I should... we should probably go eat... breakfast," he stumbled across his words and she couldn't help but smirk at the reaction she seemed to have on him.

Kate was about to tease him even more, because the need she'd felt last night was slowly igniting inside her body, but before she could there was one completely other thing entering her mind. Josh. She felt her smile fade, quick, and she immediately avoided his eyes. She was ashamed of what she had done, well not because of what she did, but by the fact that she had technically cheated on her boyfriend back home. _Fuck_.

"If-uh, if you get started with that I'll-uh need to make a phone call," Kate said but before she could clutch the sheet around her body to hide herself for when she was getting up from bed, he stopped her by putting his hand on her arm.

"What's wrong?" meeting his eyes again she saw the worry filling his blues, wondering what had her scattering from the bed, from him. When she didn't answer him for a minute he added, "is it case-related?"

She shook her head, gently placing her hand on his cheek to calm his worry. Her thumb stroke his cheek and oh god how she wanted to kiss him again, but no. She wouldn't cheat any more than she already had.

"I need to call Josh," she mumbled.

"Oh, _oh!_ _Shit!_ I totally forgot about that!" the shock and horror in his eyes not surprising her the least.

"Yeah," this time he let her go without hesitation.

Kate escaped into the bathroom that came with her bedroom to get dressed and once she was out again Castle had left, closed the door behind him so that she could get her privacy. God, she was falling for him every second she spent with him. Sighing, she got out her phone and sat down on her bed, glancing at the space where her and the writer had done the deed. She felt tears coming up her eyes, she couldn't believe she had cheated. Sure, she didn't love Josh, and if she was honest with herself she thought she was in love with Castle, but it was the principle. Once the phone was dialing the motorcycle boy it didn't go many rings before he picked up.

"Doctor Josh Davidson," he answered and she figured he hadn't seen her name on the screen because he didn't usually answer with his profession when it was her calling.

"Hey, it's me," she managed to say without her voice failing her.

"Babe! Where are you? I got your message about going away for a few days and I got worried, something happened?" his questions almost got her to start sobbing.

She was horrible! How could she do this to him?

"Uhm, listen Josh, I don't really know how to say this, but I've been thinking and I don't think this... I think we should... see... other people," she choked out the words, not knowing exactly how to say it.

There was no way she would tell him she had actually _slept_ with someone else. Josh sighed in the other end of the phone.

"I don't have a chance against him do I?" his mumble had her feel her body stiffen.

"What?" she questioned shocked.

"It's always been him, Kate. There's no use to deny it, I've seen the way you look at him. I thought I could get that look someday but I'm nowhere close," she could imagine him shaking his head in defeat as he spoke. "I hope you'll be happy Kate, I'll go get my things and leave my key in the lamp by your door. Bye."

She thanked him, because she couldn't believe he was taking it so lightly, and said goodbye. Looking down at her phone she couldn't stop the tears from actually gliding down her cheeks, before she knew it she let a sob out. A sudden knock on her bedroom door had her jump and she quickly wiped away the water on her cheeks.

"You okay?" Castle's voice called through the door.

"I'm fi-ine!" she called back but damned herself for not being able to keep her voice from cracking.

It only took two seconds before Castle had opened the door and peeked his head inside to give her a worried look. Castle hadn't meant to eavesdrop, he really hadn't! But he had _maybe_ placed himself closer to the door than he'd needed to be able to hear in case she needed him. Now, seeing her water-filled eyes he definitely didn't regret it at all, even if he knew she didn't like him seeing her vulnerable. Castle's imagination really wasn't helping at this moment, he couldn't stop but get the feeling Josh had said something that hurt her. At the same time he didn't know how much she'd told him, if she'd broken up with him or just told him she'd had sex with someone other than him.

"Did he... what did he say?" he asked as he carefully stepped inside the bedroom. "Was he saying something upsetting?"

He was almost by the bed now, carefully watching her as he neared.

"No," she sighed her answer, "but that doesn't mean I'm not a horrible person."

His eyebrows shot up in shock.

"You're _not_ a horrible person! What even makes you think that?!" he exclaimed, in a tone that almost had her think she'd said something bad about _him_.

"I _cheated_ Castle! It's the worst thing anyone can do! Well, besides murder," she groaned putting her face in her hands to hide herself. "And don't come tell me it's okay because it's _not_! I can't believe I did this."

Kate didn't know what to do with herself. She probably shouldn't let herself be with Castle, what if she hurt _him_? She was way too broken to have a real relationship, especially with him! If she hurt him in some way it would _kill_ her. He didn't deserve someone like her, he deserved something better, someone whole.

"Oh Kate," he said and before she could even react he had sat down beside her, putting his arm around her shoulders in a comfortable hug.

She leaned her head on his shoulder, because even if she thought she should push away she really needed his support. She _wanted_ his support, even if she didn't deserve it.

"Kate, I'm sorry."

Castle's apology had her pushing away from him to give him her narrowed look.

"It's not _your_ fault! I- _I_ should've stopped myself from opening the door again! I should've stopped myself from kissing you!" she was so upset she didn't know what to do so she raised from the bed and started walking back and forth in front of the bed.

Castle couldn't watch this, he just couldn't watch her this stressed, and he only knew one way to stop her from pacing. He reached out to grab her arm and pull her in between his legs, before she could react he had his left hand around her neck to pull her lips against his. To his happy surprise she kissed him back and when his tongue brushed her lower lip she opened up without hesitation. He could feel how she melted against him, her body unwillingly pushed itself into his, her arms going around his neck to pull him closer. The way her body was leaning into his he couldn't help but slowly lay down in the bed and pulling her with him to stay on top of him. She mewled when his hands went down to cup her ass and she was suddenly finding herself grinding into him. He moaned into her mouth which, to his disappointment, woke her up from her trance. She pushed her upper body off of him, breaking the connection of their lips.

"No, Castle, we can't do this. What if I make the same mistake with you?" she exclaimed in a whisper and she tried to roll off him but before she could he put his hands around her to keep her there.

" _That_ 's what you're afraid of? That you will hurt me?" she wasn't looking at him, looking down in shame and he couldn't help but feel his heart shudder. "Look at me, Kate, come on," he pleaded, and continued to plead until she actually let her eyes connect with his. "What does your heart want?"

She choked, "what?"

"What. Does. Your. Heart. Want?" he paused after each word to make sure she'd catch them all through her confusion.

"That doesn't..." he caught her off.

"Of course it matters!" he exclaimed and her body squirmed.

She let go of a small yelp when he suddenly pushed her down beside him only to follow and hover over her. His hand carefully landed on her heart, which was radically accelerating in speed.

"What does your heart want?" he asked again, so gentle her feelings for him only increased.

She knew by the look he was giving her that he could feel how her heart was beating hard and fast, all because of him. Her mouth opened but as it moved she was too scared to give the word any sound.

Castle watched her lips and could swear he knew exactly which word she was mouthing, but continued to stay quiet, leaving enough space for her to find her strength. Her eyes left his, she take a deep breath and before he knew it her eyes snapped back to his as she parted her lips.

"You," she said with a strong and determined voice.

"Good, then lets solve this case, go home, and see where this leads."

His lips turned up in a wide smile, leaning down he pressed his lips to hers in a tender kiss with no rush, no force, only love.

* * *

 _THE END_

* * *

 _A/N:_

 _Okay, so I now that end might, might, piss some of you off because you might've wanted more, hehe. Let me know in the comments what you think and have a great day/night!_

 _xxxx_


	20. Chapter 20 - Grave flowers

_Prompt: It's in season 4 so Caskett is not together. There's this cold day and when Castle see the date he understands why Beckett is behaving weird all day. It's the date when her mother died and so that he decides to try to make her smile and happy. He takes her to her mother's grave because she wants so, then they go to cinema and have a take out. Basically it is a date. They end up cuddling on Beckett's couch and then "sleeping" in her bedroom. That night they get together._

* * *

The elevators dinged and Richard Castle walked out with a smile on his face, because soon enough he would see that brilliant smile of one beautiful detective. Detective Kate Beckett, the extraordinary and beautiful detective he'd been following around for almost four years. When he arrived at her desk he was slightly surprised that she didn't even look up at him, and when he sat down her cup of sweetness she didn't so much as glance towards the cup. _That's weird_.

"Hey," Castle said and sat down in his chair.

She stayed quiet which took him by shock, she hadn't been this cold since... he couldn't remember when.

"So, uh, how's your morning?" he carefully asked, he stayed quiet for a few minutes, expecting an answer but when he didn't get one he tried again. "You catch a case?"

First then she glared at him, narrowed eyes that immediately had his small smile fade away, and he knew something must've happened because she sighed harsh before opening her mouth.

"Castle, I'm not in the mood. Just go home."

She turned back to her paperwork but what he'd seen in her eyes had him hesitating at her command. There hadn't exactly been _just_ anger in her eyes, there had been a sorrow he wasn't quite familiar with, yet he knew he had seen it somewhere before. He leaned back in his chair, trying to process when and in what context he'd seen that sorrow before. Since she didn't say anything more Castle decided to go into the break room where he could see Esposito was hiding. Once he was inside he quietly asked him if he knew what was wrong, if something had happened.

"Bro, you checked the calendar?" Esposito asked with a 'duh' voice.

"No, why?" Castle questioned and after a meaningful look from his friend he reached for his phone to check it.

Esposito walked out of the room, avoiding passing Beckett's desk in order to get to his own desk. When Castle first looked at the date he didn't understand what that had to do with any of it, until he started thinking about what why he'd stumbled across that sad glimpse before. _January 9th, 1999_. _13 years ago today she lost her mother_. Suddenly it made sense as to why the coffee, that normally brought a smile to her lips, hadn't so much as deserved a glance. It also explained why he saw her fingers carefully sliding just beneath her eyes right now, as if she was wiping away tears she didn't want anyone to see. He looked towards Gates' office and wondered if the captain was aware of her detective's state, because he was a hundred percent sure she would never admit it herself. There was suddenly nothing he wanted more than to cheer his muse up, make sure she wouldn't be too miserable on a day filled with sorrow. He wanted to make sure she smiled at least once today, so he sneaked his way into the captain's office, trying his best not to alarm Beckett what he was doing. Gates looked up at him with irritation in her eyes as he closed the door behind her.

"Yes, mr Castle?" she said annoyed, not even bothering taking off her glasses as she once again looked down in the papers she was working with.

"I'm sorry for interrupting sir, but is there a possibility you can let Beckett off early today? I mean, considering what day it is, I think she deserves it and perhaps she could have tomorrow completely off," he knew he was asking for way too much, especially considering the captain didn't even like him, but he couldn't help but push it.

"And _what_ day is it today exactly?" she questioned, taking off her glasses to narrow her eyes on him.

Castle hesitated but decided it was better to tell, just praying Beckett wouldn't find out.

"It's 13 years ago _today_ that her mother died."

Gates got a sincere look and he feared she'd give him away by the way she was suddenly glancing towards Beckett, who still sat at her desk, writing paperwork.

"But why haven't she said anything?" she questioned with a shocked voice.

"It's not something she usually talks about, and I would appreciate it if you didn't mention it," he explained and added, "and if you _have_ to then don't tell her I told you."

Gates looked back to him and nodded along with an "of course." She granted his wishes, making it perfectly clear it was for Beckett's sake and not his, and he thanked her a thousand before he walked out of her office, sneaking his way to the elevator without Beckett noticing. Now he would have a couple hours to planning before he needed to be back.

* * *

"Castle I told you I'm not in the mood."

Her harsh tone would hurt his feelings any other day but today he knew why and wouldn't be bothered by it, she had a good reason.

"I know, but I promise you this is something you'll like. Come on, I'm taking you out of here," Castle said pulling back her chair, which resulted in her reaching out for her desk to stop the chair from moving.

"Castle!" she hissed, "I got _work_!"

He suppressed a sigh, knowing he couldn't just drag her out of there.

"But you need lunch, we'll get your favorite, please," he pleaded, meeting her glaring with the best puppy eyes he could muster.

After a few minutes of constant staring she finally let go of her grip on the desk and growled "fine!". Castle almost, _almost_ , did a small victory dance but managed to stop himself before it was too late. He pulled out her chair again enough for her to raise and quickly picked up her jacket to hold it up for her. Her look told him she wanted to rip his head off and stay right where she was, but she did put her hands into the jacket and led the way to the elevator. Of course he followed her, and didn't say a word until she was about to walk in the direction of her favorite restaurant because he grabbed her arm telling her to wait. That obviously had her jerking her arm back and give him one of her looks.

"Relax, we'll get there, come on Kate, I want to show you something first, it won't take long I promise," he saw she noticed his use of her first name.

"Castle, what part of 'I'm not in the mood' don't you get?" she questioned and he looked down at his feet in small shame.

"Kate, I know you're not but... please, just trust me, please."

He knew he was practically begging but at this moment he didn't care, as long as she agreed to follow him. Her eyes twinkled with surprise, as if she couldn't really believe her ears or eyes, and he couldn't blame her because he knew the desperation in his eyes were right there, for her to see. She nodded and he carefully reached out his hand and as hesitation entered her eyes it took her a few seconds before she eventually took his hand. A spark went down his hand and he pulled her with him as they headed down the street opposite her favorite restaurant.

Castle stopped in front of a flower store and told her to stay put outside, once he got out again Kate was eyeing him closely to try and figure out what he had bought. Castle just smirked and pulled the brown paper clothed flowers away from her to make sure she wouldn't be able to see the purple lilies he'd chosen.

"Castle, what _are_ you doing?" she questioned with irritation.

"You'll see, well, actually, right now I want you to get in that car with me and put on a blindfold," he said pointing to a car he'd parked there before getting her at the precinct.

"No, not until you tell me what the hell you're doing," she insisted.

"It's a surprise. Kate, do you trust me?" he questioned, knowing it was quite a low blow because of course she did, she was just too devastated to see it this day.

Biting her lip, he could see she was nervous and her eyes still had that sad glimpse in them as she finally nodded her head and let him lead her into the car. She quietly put on the blindfold but before she dragged it down onto her eyes she gave him a look and said "I swear to god Castle, if you're doing something incredibly stupid I _will_ shoot you".

* * *

Kate was so tired. She didn't understand why the hell Castle couldn't just leave her alone. There was nothing she wanted more right now than to be alone, do her time at work to be able to go home and cry by herself. In the beginning of the car ride she tried to follow the car's every move to try and pinpoint where the writer was taking her, but she gave up after a few turns when she suddenly wasn't even sure what part of the town they were in anymore. She had a feeling he drove like he did just to throw her off, because if she knew one thing about Castle it was that he wasn't stupid and knew how to hide his surprises. Even from a detective like her. Suddenly the engine stopped and she was about to move her hands to the blindfold, to remove it, but before she could his hands were gripping hers to stop her.

"Not yet, there's a small path we need to go before I can let you take that off," he said with a gentle voice.

"And how do you suppose I'm going to be able to walk without stumbling if I can't see?" she criticized immediately.

"You have to trust me to catch you," he said and before she could protest any further she heard the door slam shut.

She grumbled "asshole" under her breath, because, no matter how much her heart skipped every time she saw him, today he really was pissing her off. Her door opened beside her and she felt his hand touching hers, sending a spark up her body. He was carefully helping her out of the car, making sure she didn't fall and therefore keeping his kind of promise to catch her. One of his arms landed around her waist and before she could yell at him to stay off he told her it was simply to make sure she wouldn't in fact stumble, that it was easier for him to lead her this way. So she let him. One thing she figured was that he left the flowers in the car because the hand he didn't have around her waist held her right hand which must mean he didn't have the flowers with him, right? After a few steps she felt the ground shifting, it went from hard asphalt to soft grass and she wondered where the hell he was taking her. She kept on asking but to her irritation he wouldn't let on. Suddenly they came to a halt and he turned her in one specific direction before letting go of her, which had her body immediately miss his touch.

"Okay, you can take it off now," Castle said and prayed for his life that she wouldn't be mad.

Kate's hands were quicker than she had expected and once the blindfold was off she could see where they were, and it brought tears to her eyes.

"Mom," she whispered as she looked down on the grave in front of her.

She couldn't stop the tears even if she wanted to, they just kept coming. She hadn't even considered coming here, too painful, but standing right in front of where they buried her mom she regretted not making sure to get there.

Castle was starting to regret doing this, taking her here. The way she was silently crying had his heart break and he wondered if it had even been a good idea to start with. She had never told him about where her mother had been buried, which was why he'd made a call to her father to find it out. The older man had warned him that even if Kate truly might appreciated it, it could also backfire terribly since she normally didn't go there unless there was too much on her mind and she'd need her mother's courage. Castle quietly observed his partner, tried to decide what move would be best. Should he give her a supportive hand on her shoulder or give her some space until she decided to turn back to him.

Castle stayed quiet for a couple of moments before he remembered the bag he had on his back. He quickly, and as quietly as possible, took off the bag and took out the flowers he'd bought. When he removed the brown paper to reveal the beautiful purple lilies he was afraid she'd turn around at the sound but to his relief she didn't. He put the brown paper in the bad which he placed in the grass before he carefully walked up behind and held up the flowers in front of her.

"Here, I thought you'd want to be the one placing them," he said in a low voice, not wanting to disturb her in any way.

Kate flinched when the flowers suddenly appeared in front of her, having forgotten she wasn't there alone she immediately let her fingers wipe away the tears that had run down her cheeks and tried to stop them from coming. It was especially hard when she saw what flowers he'd bought.

"How'd you know?" she sobbed, not being able to hide the sorrow any longer.

"Know what?" he asked carefully and she turned to look at him through her water filled eyes.

"Mom's favorite flower, how'd you know?" she asked before she concluded herself, "you called my dad."

He nodded slowly, trying to read her eyes. He held out the flowers again and he could swear there was a small twitch in her lips indicating a beginning to a smile as she accepted them.

Kate slowly turned away from the man again to walk up to her mother's grave. She bent down to sit on her knees in the grass, carefully placing the purple lilies in front of the grave. There was a part of her that never wanted to leave the spot she was sitting on, as if by sitting there brought her closer to her deceased mother. Not being able to resist she let her fingers run across the words on the cold hard stone. She couldn't stop the small sobs and she jumped when a hand touched her shoulder, bringing her out of her trance. Looking up she saw Castle's blues mirror a small piece of the grief she felt, the other, bigger, glimpse she could see in his eyes was concern. She put her hand over his in a comfortable touch, he'd done this for her. He'd somehow figured why she'd been so rude to him, and decided to try and fix something for her. Before she raised she kissed the top of her fingers on the hand not touching his and put it on her mother's name.

Castle then helped her up from the grass and was surprised when her arms was around his neck the second she stood up. Her face buried in his neck as she tried to collect herself, bring strength from the feel of his body against hers. His arms landed around her, hugging her back as tight as he could to give her the courage she needed.

"Thank you," she whispered against his skin and he had to fight to control his body not to shiver from the way her lips accidentally touched his neck.

"Always," he whispered back and restrained himself from kissing her head.

Her arms carefully released the grip she had around him and he immediately mirrored her movements. When they had released one another he asked if she wanted some time alone at the grave or if she wanted to go have that lunch he'd promised her. To his surprise she shook her head at the first question and her hand sneaked into his hand.

"Lets go," she said quietly and hand in hand they went back to his car.

* * *

Castle couldn't believe the day he'd had, was _still_ having. After their lunch Beckett had once again started walking in one direction and been stopped by Castle grabbing her arm, saying he had another surprise. When he told her he'd gotten her time off he could see a small fury enter her eyes until he'd said he thought they could go to the movies, and he would watch _any_ movie she chose _without_ complaining. That had gotten her eyes to twinkle and an evil smirk creep onto her lips. Now, sitting on the couch in her apartment, he knew why, because she had of course chosen the scariest horror movie there was and that had resulted in him having to admit he might be a little more scared than he'd acted when she chose it. _You're such a baby Castle!_ she'd laughed after they'd walked home. Though he had no troubles with her having seen his cowardliness since that had brought not only smiles to her lips but also made her laugh. And even though his pride might've been a little wounded, it had quickly disappeared again when she'd taken his hand and squeezed it in comfort.

"Thank you," Beckett suddenly said as she sat down on the couch, pulling up her legs under her and placing her body facing him with her coffee cup cradled in her hands.

"For what?" he asked taking a sip of his coffee.

She shrugged her shoulders, looking down in her cup as she answered, "for everything?". Even though he technically knew it wasn't a question he could hear she was unsure of what to say.

"You don't have to thank me, the fact that you didn't shoot me and that you let me see that smile is enough for me," he said in a mix of teasing and sincerity.

"Still, you knew how awful this day is for me and made sure to make it as great as it possibly could be," she said with her eyes still plastered in the cup. "And I can't thank you enough for that," she added under her breath.

Castle took another sip of the coffee and glanced towards the take out boxes on the table. He'd without much hope asked her if she wanted to grab take out and have dinner company on their way to her apartment from the cinema, and to his delight she'd agreed. If it hadn't been for her walls he'd consider their day a date, but he knew better than to say that out loud.

"Kate, you know I'd do anything for you, right? We're partners," he told her and that got her to look up at him.

Their eyes looked into each other's as they'd done so many times before. He wasn't sure if he was showing how much he loved her through his but he didn't care about hiding it, because he wanted her to know. He wanted her to know how badly he'd fallen for her, he'd promised to wait and he would, but that didn't mean he would keep it a secret. If she wanted to find it she would, and if she wasn't ready she could pretend it wasn't there. The thing that broke their eye contact ended up being her teeth sinking into her lower lip which immediately got his attention. He quickly looked away when he caught himself thinking about leaning forward and claiming her lips with his. Downing his coffee he raised from the couch to go put the cup in the dishwasher, when he came back to the couch he saw her eyeing him questioningly.

"I better get going, I've taken up enough of your time today," he smiled and her mouth hang open as if she was trying to process what he was saying.

When he gave her a nod and turned away from her she bounced up from the couch and almost flew towards him, sneaking in front of him to put her hands on his chest before he reached her door.

"No, wait!" she'd called out. Her mind was running around in circles. She didn't want him to leave. Especially not now, not when he'd so clearly shown his love for her in such a beautiful way. "Please, stay, stay the night," she heard herself saying before she could sort out her thoughts.

Kate could see her partner was surprised to hear the words, see the hesitation he was feeling, but she decided this was what she wanted. He'd knocked down that damn wall by showing her the affection he had, always having her back even on the days she'd done her best to push him away to be depressed alone.

"Are you sure?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kate bit her lip again, making one decision she felt like she should've done months ago. She stepped onto her toes and gently let her lips brush against his, it couldn't really be called a kiss but she didn't want to force anything on him, wanted to make sure he could turn away if he wanted. Her heart was pounding hard at the static that she felt moving from his lips onto hers, and it only increased in it's speed when she felt his lips pressing into hers. It surprised them both when they, in complete synchronization, parted their lips at the same time to start a small battle between tongues. The battle soon turned into a dance that felt so familiar it was as if they'd done this forever, and not only once almost a year earlier. The kiss grew heated quicker than any of them could anticipate, but they had to part for air not a second too late.

"Wow," he breathed out and she couldn't help but let out an agreeing "yeah".

They were still standing close together and she looked up into his blue eyes which were glued to her.

"Stay the night," she asked again, her breath caught in the waiting.

One of his hands slowly slid up to her cheek, cupping it gently and he nodded. The grin appearing on her lips were the biggest one he'd seen since before she was shot. He pulled her towards him again, claiming her lips like he'd wanted only minutes ago, kissing her with as much love and passion he could. When he pulled back he couldn't help but feeling pride at how he'd made her loose her breath in the kiss.

"Come on," she mumbled grabbing his hand and leading her towards her bedroom, "I can't say it yet but I can definitely show it to you."

At first Castle was confused by what she meant, but the second they were in her bed, bodies moving in rhythm to the music in their veins he knew exactly what she meant. She loved him. And even if she couldn't say those three words, out of fear he assumed, he could feel the love she had for him. After all they were not having sex that night, they were making love.

* * *

 _THE END_


	21. Chapter 21 - Break up

_Prompt: When Demming sends a text saying he's breaking up with Beckett she turns up at Castle's loft all pissed and throwing herself at him. She's shocked to find him saying no._

* * *

Detective Kate Beckett knocked hard and rapidly at the writer's loft door. _Why isn't he answering?!_ she thought angrily as she kept on knocking, not even giving a second thought as to what the time was. Well, not until he opened with a big yawn and his robe around his body.

"Beckett? What's wrong?" his tired eyes suddenly widened as he took in his late-night visitor.

"He fucking broke up with me!" she growled and walked past her shadow.

Richard Castle, the writer who followed her around to find inspiration to his books, was as confused as ever, immediately questioning 'who' as he turned to find her pacing in front of his couch.

"Tom! God Castle keep up," she complained and he looked towards the stairs.

Castle made one quick decision, he couldn't have her shouting in his living area, especially not with his mother and daughter sleeping upstairs, so he walked towards her and grabbed her arm to lead her into his office and only let go of her to close the door behind them. Once he turned around again she was suddenly so close he yelped in shock.

"Beckett, what are you...?" he questioned but before he could finish his question she'd put her lips onto his.

Shock filled his bones but the sweetness of her lips finally against his had him kissing her back as if he was being hypnotized. It wasn't until their lips parted, and their tongues met, that he could taste the alcohol in her mouth. He immediately pushed her away from him.

"Wha..."

"Castle, I'm not together with Tom anymore, it's okay."

Kate couldn't see why he would push away, she'd already told him she was free again. She was single, he was single, they had all this sexual tension between them and there was no way he could've missed that, so why would he push her away? She was about to kiss him again but before her lips touched his he had put his hands on her shoulders to stop her.

"Beckett... Kate, you're drunk," he concluded, quietly under his breath added "and angry" before he continued, "you don't want this."

"Of course I do! You're the only one who's made me this hot and you've not even done anything!" she groaned, so hot and bothered by only thinking about him touching her.

Castle had to bite his lip and close his eyes to try to keep his position. Both his mind and body was telling him to give in? He had wanted this for so long! If it just had been at a different time, _not_ when she just broke up with another man, _not_ when she was drunk, _not_ when she was as most vulnerable.

"No."

His voice was determined and she felt a big lump rising in her stomach.

"No? You... you don't want me? I thought that was your whole reason for shadowing me," she was shocked, and suddenly she felt like dying.

No one wanted her. Tom had broken up with her, by text, but that she didn't really care about. She had never really wanted him anyway, but Castle not wanting her? That took her hard, because there was nothing more she'd wanted since the day they met. She stumbled backwards, putting distance between her and the man her heart so badly wanted.

"Kate, don't be ridiculous, of course I want you, more than you can ever imagine," he said with full honesty, thinking and hoping she's too drunk to remember his confession when she woke up the next day, "but you don't. You will regret it and you will not let me shadow you anymore so I'm not taking any chances."

Kate shook her head at that, "no I won't, I won't regret it," but she could see there was nothing that was going to change his mind. Sighing she walked, quite wobbly, over to his deck and sat down in the chair, placed her elbows in the desk to be able to hide her face in her hands.

Castle wondered how much she'd had to drink. Because she wasn't exactly slurring her words but the way she walked and the intentions she had come there with had him worrying about her. He had never seen her this way, and it terrified him that she had thrown herself at him in this state. If it had been in any other circumstance he probably wouldn't have had a second thought about it but this wasn't right. _How am I supposed to send her home like this?_ he thought about it. He couldn't. What if she did something reckless?

"Look, you can stay the night, I can go and prepare the guest room if you like," he suggested and she looked up at him, tears evident in her eyes.

"No, I'm fine," she said and he gave her a look.

"You're not. Come on, lets get you to the room," but before he could have her following him she had turned towards his bedroom, and walked right in there without hesitation.

At first he stood frozen in shock but after a few minutes he sprinted off to follow her and when he came into his room he saw she had removed her clothes, put them in a pile on the floor, and crawled under the big comfy cover. He called out her name but realized it was already too late, she'd fallen asleep with her head snuggled into one of his pillows. With a sigh and a roll of his eyes he removed his robe and crawled down on the other side of the bed, far away enough not to touch her, and decided he'd deal with this in the morning.

* * *

Kate awoke with a startle, sitting straight up in the bright room which unfortunately resulted in a pounding ache in her head. She looked around, suddenly realizing she was _not_ in her own bed, but she couldn't quite recognize where she was. It wasn't at Tom's, _oh_ , that's right, he'd broken up with her. Looking down at her body she saw she only wore her underwear, _what the hell did I do last night?_ When there was a distant sound of footsteps she quickly covered herself with the cover and got ready to make up a plan despite her bad headache in case whoever was on their way towards her would be someone she didn't know. The distant footsteps came to a halt right before she could see who was behind the bedroom door.

"Bye pumpkin!" the voice was a familiar one, _way_ too familiar one.

 _Oh, no!_ Kate couldn't help but widen her eyes at the realization of whose bedroom this was. What _did_ she do the night before? The door silently creaked open and when his head looked inside she felt her heart skip a beating.

"Oh, you're awake," his voice was not much higher than a whisper.

He pushed the door open and walked inside with a tray in his hands. When he approached the bed she could see it had pancakes on a plate along with a cup, the smell of coffee filling her nostrils, and once he had put down the tray on the nightstand she could also see a glass of water with pills beside it. He turned towards his drawers and as he was searching for something she couldn't help but voice the question circling inside her pounding head.

"C-Castle, did we...?" she stumbled across her words, not able to finish the sentence, too embarrassed by having to ask because of her lack of memory.

He turned around almost quickly with big eyes.

"No!" he exclaimed and cleared his throat, "I mean, no, we didn't do anything."

Kate felt her cheeks blossom red with the embarrassment she was feeling. To her relief Castle turned back to his searching and she let go of a deep sigh.

"But-uh, how much do you remember from last night?" he questioned and she felt her body stiffen.

Once he turned around he was holding up a big shirt that she assumed belonged to him.

"Here, I think this will be comfier than the shirt you came in," Castle threw the shirt to her before he turned around to give her privacy.

She immediately pulled it on to be able to sit up without having to worry about him seeing her more naked than she was comfortable with. She brought the cover over her as far as if would go while she sat with her back towards the back of the bed. He turned around when she told him she was done and it didn't take long before he'd moved the tray from the nightstand onto her lap. She didn't meet his eyes until he opened his mouth.

"Thought you would need the pills, and some breakfast," his voice was almost apologizing and she wondered what the hell happened the night before because she was definitely getting scared by his unusual behavior.

"Thanks," she said and he was about to leave the room when her voice stopped him. "Wait, can you tell me what happened? Did I do something... wrong?"

Castle cursed himself, because he wasn't at all sure of what to say. When he glanced back at her in the bed, so much worry in her eyes, he knew he couldn't deny her the truth. Walking back he sat down beside her in the bed, gesturing his hands for her to start eating, once she took the pills and started eating he took a deep breath.

"You came here last night, telling me that Demming broke up with you. I took you into my office to make sure you wouldn't wake up Alexis or mother since you were being quite loud about it. You-uh, you surprised me when I'd closed the door, anyway, I tried to get you to my guest room but you walked right in here instead and fell asleep before I could do anything so I decided to let you stay."

She looked at him, sensing he wasn't telling the whole truth, besides, he left out how she got rid of her clothes.

"Castle, why was I sleeping in only my underwear?" she asked, keeping her eyes on the pancakes she was eating.

The pancakes were really good, she couldn't remember last time she'd gotten pancakes as good as these. When she had finished them she looked at him, requesting with her eyes that he answers her because, no matter how embarrassing, she needed to know.

"You just undressed before I found you in my bed, I didn't see when you did but I suppose you did it by instinct," he said and she nodded.

It sounded possible. When she was at home and feeling too warm she'd sometimes just sleep in her panties, which made her so grateful right now that she at least had the decency to keep her bra as well. She sipped her coffee and was finally feeling her head

"Promise not to shoot me," he suddenly said and she looked at him with horror in her eyes.

"What?" she questioned with a high pitched voice.

"We kinda... well... you kinda..." he stumbled across his words and Kate's eyes only widened in horror. "You kissed me."

She couldn't help but let out a small laugh of relief, the was he had sounded it had feared her she'd done something worse, _a lot_ worse. Castle got shocked and a big irritating feeling inside the pit of his stomach.

"Why are you laughing? I had to _push_ you away to stop you from doing anything more than just kissing!" he was clearly more upset than she thought he'd be. "You have _no_ _idea_ how hard that was!"

Kate startled at his outburst, when she finally looked at him she saw he'd closed his eyes in order to take deep breaths. Upon seeing his eyes clenched shut she suddenly remembered he was doing the exact same thing when he'd held her back and told her a stern 'no' the night before. _Oh my god,_ she'd thrown herself at him _._

"I'm sorry," she breathed out on a whisper, not daring to raise her voice any higher. "I... I didn't know... _shit."_

She put her hands over her face and bit her lip as everything came back to her. How she'd drunken way too much, how she suddenly had felt this _need_ to find the writer and let him know just how much she'd wanted him, how the only reason they shouldn't were out of their way. He sighed beside her and when her eyes once again reached his face she saw him shaking his head.

"Lets just forget it, I knew you'd regret it anyway," his comment had her eyes widening.

Would she really regret it? Well, she _did_ regret throwing herself at him like she had, because now that she remembered it was quite shameful how she'd acted. But, did she regret the fact that she'd wanted him? Wanted him the way she'd wanted him since they met? Since she read that sex scene in his book, practically about _them?_

"Look Rick," her use of his first name had his eyes on her in a millisecond, "I wouldn't have regretted it. Honestly, the only thing I regret is _how_ I came at you. I should've..." she sighed, "you know me by now Castle, I don't let people in, and confessing that I-that I want you isn't easy."

She did everything in her power not to so much as _glance_ at him, because it truly wasn't easy. Wanting him was not only physical anymore either, and thinking of starting something emotional feared her more than anything had ever done because she had a feeling that with Castle it wouldn't be something short. No, with Castle it would be for the long run. And even though she feared it, she'd already set it in motion thanks to her drunken state the night before when her, now ex-, boyfriend broke up with her.

"You... you _do_ want me?" his voice was so shocked it was a bit higher pitched than what was normal.

"Yes!" she exclaimed as if it was obvious, suddenly so damn tired of lying and holding back.

She took a grip of the tray and managed to put it back onto the nightstand beside her before she turned towards the man she'd wanted so badly for over a year now.

Castle sat like frozen as she did this, because he had a hard time believing her. What did she mean she wanted him? Like he wanted her? Like she had presented the night before? Before he knew what was happening she'd somehow put her leg on the other side of him and put her hands on each of his cheeks to hold him there. Her lips were on his in an electric and rushed kiss, resulting in him loosing his breath. She pulled away almost as quickly as the kiss had started, letting their foreheads still be in contact as she let it all sunk into his confused, dizzy mind. _Was she...?_ It took a couple seconds before the realization hit him. The woman he'd followed around for his books, the woman who he'd slowly fallen for, was _straddling_ him in his _bed_ while _kissing_ him. He felt arousal go down his spine and it certainly didn't help that she was so close he could smell her cherry flavored scent.

"I want you."

It was all she said, all she could say through the crazed feelings circling around her pounding head. There were two specific emotions so dominant in her body right that moment and she wasn't sure of which one would win. The fear wanted her to pull away from him, pick up her clothes and leave, but the, dared she call it, love wanted her to keep kissing him, to take things to the next level because, she could fool herself as much as she wanted but this was something she deep down wanted. To her surprise, and relief, her words had released Castle from his frozen state and it only took seconds after her last word left her mouth before his denied her any more talking. Her right hand travelled into his hair, feeling his soft hair against her fingers sent pleasure down her veins, and her left hand slipped down to his chest, where she could feel his heart beat to the rhythm of her own. She could feel his excitement as she started grinding herself into his body, pushing herself closer to him than she'd ever been before, and she felt her shirt, or well his shirt but on her body, ride up so the only clothing between them were her panties and, of course, his jeans along with the boxers she assumed he had under. There were no way she could've stopped the moan coming out of her mouth when his hands suddenly gripped a hold of her waist under the shirt, their skin finally touching in some way, and he swallowed her moan before letting his lips travel down to suck on her increasing pulse. She gasped at the arousing sweetness shooting down her veins to her abdomen.

"Rick!"

Hearing his name come out of her mouth like that had Castle loosing it, oh how many times hadn't he dreamt of this?! And the way she was fiddling in his hair? Lets just say like this, no woman had _ever_ made him feel the way solely her hands and lips had, it was crazily amazing! His hands were on fire just by being able to feel her naked skin against his fingertips. When she was distracted he knew she wouldn't be able to stop him, so without any indication of his plans he pushed her down onto her back only to place his body on top of hers. His body pushing her into the mattress and to his surprise she didn't complain at all, too caught up with gasping and moaning as his lips found hers again. She was the one to make the first move at undressing him, gripping his jeans to unbutton the belt, the button and slide down the zipper, and he took that as a cue she was definitely on board with their activities. He pulled her shirt up, immediately getting the reaction of her raising her arms so that he could pull it off, and removed her bra, exposing her naked chest to his dark blue eyes.

The second his lips attached to her right breast she couldn't stop the scream of his name coming off her lips. She was squirming under his devours, reaching an orgasm quicker and deeper than she had before. He didn't let her get any amount of rest before his fingers snaked their way into her panties where they worked magic and it didn't take long before she was reaching a second high. Having adrenaline pumping fast in her body she managed to unbutton his shirt to pull it off and to her relief he got rid of his pants and boxers while she released herself of her panties. When he was finally back with his body against hers she let her fingers wander down to start stroking his hard manhood as she leaned up to kiss him again. He followed her body down to keep their lips connected when she laid her head back into the pillows.

Kate gasped when he pushed into her, connecting them, and Castle couldn't stop the groan rising in his throat when he felt how tight and wet she was. There was no doubt as to what he'd made her feel, how it was thanks to him she was so wet, and he couldn't understand how the knowledge of her pleasure gave him equal satisfaction. He let her adjust to his size and didn't move until she groaned out a 'please Castle'. They quickly found a rhythm so familiar it was as if they had done this for years. It felt so surreal and so beautiful and, _god_ , Kate had been right, he'd had no idea.

* * *

"Castle," the warning tone had his fingers stop typing and his eyes looked up under his brows in a fear he was, oh so, familiar with. "What the hell is this?" Kate came into his office with a bunch of papers in her hands.

His eyes narrowed in thought as he tried to see what papers she could've possibly found this time. She threw the bunch in front of him on the desk and the second he read the title he understood exactly. What. Papers. She'd. Found. _Break up_.

" _Shit_ ," he breathed out and looked up at her furious eyes. "Uh... I meant to get rid of these... you weren't supposed to find them, where the hell did you find them anyway?" he suddenly turned the suspicion back on her, because he had _indeed_ hidden his written fantasy-dream far down one of his drawers.

Her angry expression suddenly went blank, probably not even thinking about how her accusation could backfire so quickly. She stammered for a couple of seconds before she shook her head.

"Fine, I was snooping," she said in a 'I give up' tone. But before he could even begin to try and mock her she opened her mouth again. "Still doesn't explain why it exists."

He closed his mouth from the tease he was about to let out and looked down at the papers in front of him. He cursed himself for thinking he could keep it, then again, to his defense, he had forgotten it even existed. Until now. _Damn_.

"I-uh, might... have been... a little..." he couldn't help pause between the words, thinking about how to say it out loud, "jealous. And, I-uh, might... have had dreams... about you... and Demming breaking up. Come on, Kate, it's in the past, do I really need to explain it?" his last sentence was a plea, and she could see his whole face being flushed from getting caught.

"You fantasized about us having sex right after I supposedly broke up with a guy?" she criticized with narrowed eyes.

He suddenly gave her an obvious look. "Are you really surprised?" he countered instead of answering, which had her biting her lip. "Your hotness and my feelings for you didn't really help my mind creating pg-13 rated dreams," he added and that's when her cheeks became at least as flushed as his were.

Castle stood up from his desk, picking up the bunch of paper and flipped towards the last pages. " _The second his lips attached to her right breast she couldn't stop the scream of his name coming off her lips..._ " he read out loud while he walked up to her, he cheeks suddenly blossoming red.

When he was about to continue reading she snatched the papers from him to stop him. "Castle, no, it's time we burn this. Should I know about more of these?" she questioned and he smirked before putting on a frightened expression.

He was shaking his head while saying 'no' but she had of course already seen the smirk and knew he was lying. "Castle," her tone was as warning as he'd ever heard it since they got together a couple months ago.

"Fine, I have more, of course I have more, I had a lot of dreams about you. I still do," he confessed, "but hey! Where's the harm in this? It's not like I'm going to publish them, or share them with anyone else." He shrugged his shoulders and Kate rolled her eyes.

"I don't believe you'd do that on purpose but what if someone finds them? What if your mother or Alexis finds them?" she questioned harsh.

"If they would've found them, they would've found them already," he concluded and she groaned.

"Not the point here."

"You only found it because you were straight out snooping in my drawers, no one else does that."

His voice was a perfect mix of mocking and accusing which naturally left her feeling a bit guilty and a bit embarrassed.

"I'm a detective, that's what I do," she tried to defend herself but he just snorted with a roll of his eyes.

"You need a warrant for that," he was definitely enjoying this way too much.

She smacked the bunch of papers against her leg in frustration as she turned away to walk out of his office. Before she could even take two steps towards his bedroom before he grabbed her arm, pulling her back to him. She landed with her body flushed to his with his arms around her in a determined lock.

"You know, those stories are a _lot_ better than watching porn," he said in a low, husky, voice that had her insides tingle with arousal. "You know, I have one written that takes place in the precinct, at night, when no one's around."

A shiver went down her spine, _god why did he have to be so hot?_

"There's another one starting at the cinemas, you're wearing a skirt and I can't keep my fingers at bay. And then there's one were we're undercover as a married couple checking into the honeymoon suite, with only one bed we end up making love all night," his voice gets lower, deeper, as he continued counting up scenarios where they'd had sex in his fantasies.

All of a sudden Kate couldn't take it anymore, claiming his lips with hers, not only to shut him up but because he'd wind her up so much there was nothing that could stop her now. Castle didn't mind at all though, this had been his plan all along, well, since she'd said he needed to throw them away. He backed her towards his bedroom and as their naked bodies finally connected he made her scream out her approval of keeping his dirty stories as long as she got to read them. She couldn't wait to read them.

* * *

 _THE END_


	22. Chapter 22 - Getaway in the Hamptons

_Prompt: It's in season 7 after Castle finds Beckett after killing Kelly Nieman. She is out of her mind. She feels numb and doesn't really want to talk or eat or anything that night. Gates gives her a week off. Kate asks Castle if they can go to Hamptons for the week and of course he says yes. And it's basically about Castle taking care of Beckett when she feels weak._

* * *

Those eyes. Those green, devil-like eyes stared back at her every time she blinked. Kate Beckett's husband kept asking her things, tried giving her food, but she didn't feel like it. She just shook her head, muttered a 'fine' when he asked if she was okay. Of course she knew he knew she was lying. She was definitely not fine at all, but she didn't want to talk. To her relief he respected that, and when she wanted to shower alone he'd told her he would go call his mother to check on her and his daughter. She had a feeling he knew she was crying in there, but she didn't care, she didn't want him to see her so... weak. Laying in bed, she was afraid to blink, because whenever she closed her eyes she was right there in that room again, looking into those light green eyes. She had barely managed to get her hand loose before Kelly Nieman had cut into her skin. They'd fought and thanks to her police training, along with the strength training she keeps doing at a regular basis, she had won. Kate had not only disarmed the woman but also taken care of the threat for good. And thanks to her partners, the threat of Jerry Tyson a.k.a. 3XK was taken care of as well. The sound of footsteps behind her almost had her jerking around until she recognized them as the love of her life. Richard Castle was her partner and husband. She felt the bed dip as his body carefully slid into it.

"How was the shower?" he asked quietly, careful as to not startle her.

"Fine," she muttered, feeling so exhausted.

"Hey," he said as low as before, she felt his fingers gently touch her arm.

He attentively tugged her shoulder and she didn't hesitate before rolling onto her back, meeting his concerned blue eyes. She didn't blame him for being concerned, she couldn't, she had felt the same concern for him.

"You know you can talk to me right?" his voice was as filled with concern as his eyes were.

"I know," she sighed, "I just... every time I close my eyes I see her face."

"Ah," he nodded with understanding, "I see his too. Ever since that night on the bridge," he told her and she bit her lip.

Why did this happen to them? Why couldn't they just have been left alone? Why couldn't Tyson just live out his freedom at an abandoned island along with his psycho-girlfriend?

"You wanna know how I deal with it?" Castle's question had her mind going back to him, her eyes asking for him to continue. "I open my eyes and look at you."

It was cheesy, he knew it was cheesy, but it was the truth. One look at her and he felt safe. One look at her and his heart was filled with a warmth that only love could spread. Plus, his statement brought the first smile since they got home from the precinct to enter her lips. She'd laughed when they got the information Castle would return to work with him but since then her expression had remained the one she used in poker. He leaned down and gently kissed her lips, trying to give her as much comfort as he could through the few seconds he let their lips touch. As he laid back she followed his body, putting her head on his chest and keeping her body close to his. She didn't want to loose his touch, the only touch that could calm her. His scent smelling like home. Her fingers clutched onto his shirt by her nose, not feeling like letting go any time soon because she needed his comfort, no matter how weak it might make her look. He had seen her weak before, and, besides, everyone's weak a little now and then. Doesn't mean you're less of a fighter for that, or doesn't have the strength you need.

"Castle?" her voice was light, almost as if she breathed it out, but he heard her and he showed it by hugging her a bit tighter, encouraging her on. "Can we go to the Hamptons? For the week I mean. I feel like getting out of the city," she confessed on a whisper.

"Of course, we'll pack the bags first thing tomorrow morning and go as soon as we're done."

She could see in his eyes he was wondering something, but she could also see he was too afraid to ask her. His fingers started roaming her back, sending sweet tingles down her veins.

"What's on your mind?"

He thought about telling her 'nothing', but he knew she'd know he was lying. And so he asked her the question he'd kept asking her all night. "Are you sure you're not hungry? You need food Kate, it's one of the things keeping us alive."

He wasn't surprised to see and feel her head shake, she hadn't eaten since he found her. And he somehow doubted she'd gotten any food from her capturer, which meant she'd gone more than 48 hours without food. He remembered doing research about that for an old book, a human can approximately survive without food for two months, but that didn't mean you could just skip food however you like.

"I'm not hungry, I'll eat breakfast tomorrow, I promise," she said and he decided he could be satisfied with that answer.

He would've preferred if she'd let him make something for her right in that moment, of course, but he knew better than to push her. Besides, he could feel how tired her body was against his, she was in no condition to move away from exactly where she was.

"Fine, but you have my word, I will make one hell of a great breakfast for you," he promised and he was delighted to see her lips creep up in a genuine smile. "Now, go to sleep, I'll protect you," he promised against the top of her head as he kissed her. "Nothing will hurt you again."

He knew as much as she that the promise couldn't be kept, not when her job was as dangerous as it was, but the promise still made her feel protected, safe. His arms slightly tightened around her and for once, when she closed her eyes, she didn't see those godawful green eyes. She saw his blue, calm, loving eyes, and the sleep surrounded her body like a cozy blanket would.

* * *

Kate awoke with a gasp, barely able to breath through the panic attack rising in her chest. She felt dizzy and sitting up didn't help. Her panicking eyes scanned the room, searching for her attacker without finding her. It took a minute too long before she realized where she was, her scream already left her throat in horror.

"Kate?!" Castle came running into their bedroom, his eyes looking around to find the danger without finding any.

Once his eyes landed on hers, filled with fear, he immediately understood what was going on. He held up his hands, palms forward, and took slow steps towards their bed, telling her she was safe with the calmest voice he could muster. The second he was within her grasp she took a hold of his hands and pulled him closer to sit beside her on the bed. As soon as he sat down she threw her arms around his waist, and he felt her body relax once he let his arms fall around her in a tight hug.

"You're safe, Kate, you're safe," he kept chanting in her hair, kissing the top of her head a little now and then.

She buried her face into the crook of his neck, refusing the tears from breaking out of her watery eyes. It took a few minutes before her breathing was back to normal, her chest not as tight anymore.

"Thanks," she breathed as she pulled back and she felt his fingers gently replaced her sweaty hair from her cheek to behind her ear.

"Always," he promised letting his hand cup her cheek, his touch soothing her. "Come on, lets get some food in you," he carefully leaned forward and pecked her lips once before rising from the bed.

She stood up and grabbed his hand before he could start towards the kitchen. "Shower first?" she asked carefully and he gave her a suspicious look.

"Are you sure you want me in there with you? I can go prepare the breakfast while you shower," he suggested but she shook her head.

"I-uh," she hesitated, still not wanting to quite let him witness her weak even though he's done it thousands of times before. "I need you close," she swallowed hard, "please?"

She didn't have to ask twice, his head immediately nodding with understanding. He intertwined their fingers, letting their palms kiss, and together they walked into the bathroom. When they undressed they walked into the steaming shower still holding hands. The water trickled down their bodies and, god, was she grateful the shower was one of those big ones which could easily contain two people. Castle reached towards a washing cloth, the one he'd run over her body many times before, and put soap onto it. The cloth gently started scrubbing her back in a soothing rub she so badly needed. She felt him remove her hair to be able to run the cloth over her shoulders, slowly cleaning out the sweat of the panic attack and relieving her of the tension her body was filled with. It felt so good to have his hand go down her spine, around her waist, over her belly, she carefully stepped back into his chest and his head landed on her right shoulder. His other hand came around her waist and he hugged her gently while his lips touched her cheek.

Castle had no problem staying like that, hugging his wife while she relaxed under the stream of water. She could have all the time in the world she needed, he'd make sure she felt safe again. They stood like that for minutes before he felt her reach for the shampoo. He beat her to it, taking the bottle and squeezing out the content in his hand as she turned around to look at him with an asking expression. Smiling at her he started shampooing her hair, making sure to massage her scalp as his fingers worked. He saw her closing her eyes, humming in pleasure, and he couldn't help but feel his heart skip a beat at the beautiful sight. When he was done he leaned down and kissed her lips before he let his fingers run through her hair as the shampoo drained out with the water. She didn't let him go as he did though, kept their lips moving together as her hair got free from the shampoo. It wasn't heated, at least not in the way their kisses in the shower usually were, because that's not what she needed, what _they_ needed. They kept kissing until her hair had been long rinsed of the shampoo and then, once they'd dried themselves, Castle couldn't stop himself from kissing both her cheeks and her forehead before he took her hand to spread his fingers through hers. They were both silent, Kate because she just wanted to be able to sort everything out in her mind first, and Castle because he respected his lover's need to be in the quiet. The only time he opened his mouth was to ask if it was okay if he went to continue prepare her breakfast he'd started on before she woke up, she let him go but not before she'd kissed him. He went off to the kitchen after another kiss to her forehead.

When Kate looked into her drawers, searching through her shirts before she gave up and closed the drawer. Her eyes glanced at his though, knowing they would be big, warm and full of the scent of him she opened his drawer and pulled out his favorite sweat shirt. He'd gotten it to annoy her, ordered a shirt saying 'My muse will break both of my legs if she sees this' and then there was a picture of the silhouette from his first Nikki Heat book. She of course hadn't found out about it, because he had eventually decided it would be his death if she found out early on, until they had started dating. She put the sweat shirt on and couldn't help herself but stop in her movements to take a big sniff of his scent before she took out the leggings she wanted to wear. After that she headed towards the kitchen where her amazing husband stood making one of his delicious sandwiches. He'd also made some bacon, pancakes and even scrambled eggs and she couldn't help stop the wrinkle from forming in her forehead at the sight of all food.

"I told you I'd make one great breakfast," he defended before she could open her mouth in protest.

"Yes, but you didn't have to. Castle you know I won't be able to eat all of this," she groaned and he figured it was a good sign.

She was sounding like herself, not acting like the zombie she had at a couple of moments the night before when she's ignored most of his attempts to make her talk, or act in any way at all.

"I know, we'll eat it together, don't worry," he winked at her and she rolled her eyes.

Another great sign she was starting to at least feel a _little_ better. He stopped in his tracks when she'd gotten close enough for him to notice the sweat shirt she was wearing.

"I guess the fact that you're wearing it makes it okay for me to have it," he halfway teased, halfway prayed.

She gave him a look, a determined "no" leaving her lips as she sat down at the island. He pushed a plate in front of her containing the sandwich he'd made for her and she could hear the small chuckle he tried to suppress. It made her smile though, hearing his chuckle. She hadn't expected to hear it this soon, expected him to still freak out about her kidnapping.

* * *

The week in the Hamptons went by slow, not that it was boring or anything, but because they took everything as it came. Just like they both needed. They didn't rush anything, quite the opposite they mostly watched movies, went to the beach and swam in the pool. Never once did they leave each other's side, except for the occasional bathroom calls. Some of the evenings were spent in his small office, him at his desk writing on his next book and her laying on the couch with some of the chapters of said book in her grasp. Normally he wouldn't even let her touch his computer in order to make sure she wouldn't be able to read his book until it was done, but this week he wanted nothing more than to help her heal. She never liked showing herself weak, but he was grateful she had proven to him she wanted him closer to her rather than being away from him during the small breakdowns she'd had in the beginning of their getaway week. It seemed as though the fact he let her read the beginning of his next book helped her take her mind off of things, helped her heal. The last evening of their getaway it didn't take long, after she'd started reading the last chapter she had gotten from him, before she was putting the bunch of papers away on the desk in front of him.

"How far have you gotten on the next chapter?" she asked when he looked up at her.

"You're done?" he asked skeptically.

She groaned, knowing the answer meant he wasn't finished with the next chapter yet. He couldn't help but chuckle at his impatient wife.

"I wanna know what happens next, can you at least tell me? Please?"

Castle always found it more than amusing that his wife was such a fan of his books, which she apparently had been long before they met. Which reminded him of something he got to know from that alternative universe he'd been transported to not that long ago.

"What?" her voice broke him out of his thoughts and he looked at her with a hum.

"Oh, nothing," he added when he saw her asking gaze.

Kate bit her lip, wondering what thought that had made him look at her in awe. She'd often caught him looking at her like that and she always wondered why.

"Come on, tell me," she encouraged.

He sighed before opening his mouth. "You remember what I told you about that world in which we had never met?" his question had ever wrinkling her forehead, not understanding why that was relevant, but nodded nevertheless. "You told me... well, the other Kate told me about how you stood in a line for hours to get one of your books signed by me, and I find it kind of adorable knowing you were such a fan before we even met."

Her eyes went wide. _He knew?_ But... that had just been a dream, right? There was no way he could've gotten that information from another universe, right? She stared at him in silence, not really knowing what to say.

"Your silence is telling me it's true, how come you never told me?" he asked with curiosity written all over his face.

Her eyes suddenly left his in order to seek the floor in an attempt to avoid his blue eyes.

"Because I didn't want you to think of me as one of your crazed fans," she admitted while shrugging her shoulders as if that explained it all.

"That wouldn't have changed the was I feel about you."

"Maybe not, but I wasn't ready to let you know how..." she took a deep breath, "how your books helped me through my mother's murder."

When she finally looked up at him again it was his turn to have his eyes opened wide.

"Yes, Castle, you were there for me long before you even came into my life," she answered before he could even ask any questions. "It's probably why I found solace in reading this one," she pointed to the bunch of papers on the desk, "your words and stories have always helped me heal."

She could see how speechless he got, how he tried to find something in his writer's mind worth of saying, and she bit her lower lip, thinking about taking advantage of his frozen state. Before he could say anything she grabbed his laptop from the desk and ran towards their bedroom, hearing his footsteps suddenly pick up after her she couldn't help but let go of a laughing yelp as she reached for the bathroom door. Before she managed to close the door his foot was in the way and when he yanked up the door she tried to hide the laptop behind her back to keep it away from him. Once he was inside he crossed his arms over his chest with an amused looking smirk on his face.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he asked chuckling.

"Stealing your next chapter," she pursed her lips in an attempt to resist the rising smile.

"Oh, really?" he questioned, coming closer to her. "And what makes you think you know the password?"

She raised her eyebrows, "oh, please, it's _caskett41319_ and has been since our first weekend here," she mocked. He rolled his eyes and walked even closer, trapping her towards the wall by putting his hands on each side of her body.

"Okay, fine, how about I make you a deal?" he started and her eyebrow twitched with challenge. "You give back my laptop so I can try write some more and then, when we go to bed, I'll read it to you as a bedtime story."

Kate pretended to think about it, because, really, what was there to think about? And to her surprise his only response to her thinking was to move his body even closer to her, putting his lips so close to hers that she could feel the ghost of them on hers. Her whole body wanted nothing more than to arch into his, to feel his touch. She couldn't stop her lips from parting at the thought of kissing him, her eyes trapped on his mouth. Suddenly he pulled away, and along with him went his laptop.

" _Hey!_ " she yelled out at the realization of his moves.

He just backed away with the laptop in his hands, a proud smirk bright on his face. "You gotta do what you gotta do," he teased.

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Font you," she cursed and his smile got bigger.

"I know you want to."

His retort had her gritting her teeth in annoyance. She pushed her way from him and when Castle followed he saw she had walked past his office and down to the living room where he heard the tv go on. Sitting down at his desk he continued writing on the next chapter, knowing she would most definitely enjoy his bedtime story, especially considering he would add a chapter he would then later delete.

* * *

After getting two chapters written, Castle escaped to the living room to join his wife on the couch. To his relief she didn't seem to be angry with him, in fact, she snuggled into him the second he sat down, putting their bodies as close together as they could get. It wasn't until the movie she was watching ended that he suggested they'd go to bed so he could keep his promise, to read her the next chapter of his book. Her immediate response was amusing to him, her eyes filled with wonder as she looked at him.

"Come on," he tugged on her arm.

Kate felt excitement bubble in her belly. They quickly made their way up to bed, where she saw he'd already printed out the next chapter. Her eyes narrowed at the bunch of papers, a lot thicker than one chapter usually was. She reached for the papers but he caught her wrist and pulled her closer to him, which meant away from the papers.

"Hey, no peeking," he teased, putting his lips on her cheek in a kiss.

She groaned, but of course she loved this. She loved the tension he was building up, the excitement that filled her whole being. His arms turned her around until they were face to face, then he kissed her quick on her lips and gestured towards the bed. It didn't take long before they were both snuggled into bed with his beautiful voice filling the air with the words of his upcoming book. It was when he finished reading that first chapter that she realized he'd written more than one for her.

"What's this?" she questioned when she saw the label on it, _For Kate Only_.

Instead of answering her he started reading, it didn't take many sentences before she knew exactly what he'd been doing and what the label meant. He'd written a romantic piece between Nikki and Rook, how the two characters were on a vacation and ate dinner one night. He told her all about their beautiful evening, about how Rook was doing everything he could in order to make Nikki relax after the hard case she'd had before their getaway. At the end of the chapter Castle's voice changed from his normal teller one into a sultry and extremely arousing one. Her breathing was slowly hardening at the pictures he painted up of them, or their alter egos, doing such amazing things and she knew she wouldn't be able to hide the excitement he was slowly but, oh so beautifully, creating inside of her.

Castle observed his wife as he read the steamy scene he'd just written, he didn't even need to read them to know exactly what it said. Of course he noticed the second her breathing changed, he also noticed when her legs suddenly weren't being able to keep still anymore. His smile widened slightly when he saw her teeth sunk into her lower lip as her eyes followed the words he was reading.

" _As they lay naked and sweaty together there was only one thing on Nikki's mind. How had she been so lucky as to have found her soulmate,_ " Castle said and closed the last page, seeing Kate looking down in her lap with her teeth still biting her lip.

Castle put the bunch of papers on his nightstand and when he returned the gaze on her she was looking at him with those hazel green eyes he'd fallen in love with the first time he saw her.

"So, you liked the chapter?" he asked and she immediately nodded.

"Mhmm, both of them," Kate replied and leaned forward to kiss his lips. "And I guess that second one was supposed to make me throw myself at you?"

He chuckled, shaking his head, "no, I just hoped it would make you feel better, to feel the love I want to give you." His eyes were genuine, truth behind those blue eyes, and she felt even more love for the man she'd married.

"I love you so much," she said and his smile widened.

"I love you too."

Their lips were fused together in a gentle kiss that soon led to other activities were they both could show each other just how in love they were. Kate felt blessed to have such an amazing man to husband, if it weren't for his love she'd never recovered as quick as she had from almost being killed by Kelly Nieman. They'd go back home tomorrow, which meant they would spend most night making love and cuddling until they couldn't stay awake any longer.

* * *

 _THE END_

* * *

A/N:

I honestly don't like this ending, like, at all. I don't know why, but anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed it and won't hate it too much. I love all your reviews and I'm sorry if I don't reply to them but it's because I feel like there's no need to. You should know I appreciate every single one of them though! Love you guys!

xxxx


	23. Chapter 23 - Coffee buddies

_Prompt: I go to a coffee shop everyday after class and you're always there in the back corner sitting alone and you always order the same thing, I tried it and it's delicious and you look so sad._

* * *

Walking into the coffee shop Rick Castle's eyes immediately wander to that corner in which no windows were found, where she always was seated. Kate. Yes, he knew her name but no, he was not a stalker. He'd heard the barista call out her name a few times when her order was ready. Of course he'd found out what her order was as well, not that he was a stalker but because he was curious as to what she was drinking. Okay, so maybe it had reached a level of creepy but he couldn't help it. She always sat there when he arrived from class at the end of each day, and he wondered why such a beautiful young woman would choose to sit in the darkest corner of the shop, why she always had that same sadness screaming around her. He was simply getting to know the few things he could in order to build up courage to actually go talk to her. He'd even ordered a grande skim latte with two pumps sugar free vanilla to get a taste of what she was drinking every single day.

"What can I get you?" the cashier asked, interrupting his thoughts and his eyes went from the mysterious woman to look at the guy waiting for his order.

Without hesitation he ordered the same as her, because, no matter how many times he told himself he shouldn't in case she would hear him, he found it the most delicious coffee he'd had in the shop. He paid for the drink and while he waited on it to be made he caught his own eyes gliding once again towards the woman in the corner. He wondered what she was working on, the pen she was holding carefully tapped on her lower lip as she looked down in the papers she had in front of her. Was she attending school? She looked a couple years younger than him so it had to be school work right?

"Grande skim latter with two pumps sugar free vanilla to Rick Castle?" the barista said, a little too loud for Rick's liking as the young woman looked up and met his eyes for the small millisecond it took him before turning towards the coffee.

"Thanks," he mumbled as he accepted the cup, now regretting not taking a to-go cup.

He did his best to avoid glancing towards the corner as he walked to a free table a couple of seats away from her. Somehow he couldn't stop his cheeks from getting warm and he prayed to whoever listened that they wouldn't be red, that his embarrassment weren't visible. He had a very awful feeling it did though, and so he also hoped the young woman wouldn't figure out it was because of her he'd ordered the drink he had. When he sat down he made sure to sit down with his back towards her because, no matter what, he wouldn't let himself so much as glance at her this day. If he did she might call the cops on him, well, maybe not but it he knew that if she had any idea on how many times he'd looked at her she would probably not hesitate from getting a restraining order or worse, getting him thrown to jail for stalking. Taking a deep breath Rick brought out his laptop from his bag, and as it logged in he took a sip of the delicious coffee. When he'd written about half a page on his new project he saw movements in the corner of his eye, which immediately made him look over to see the brown haired young woman on her way to exit the shop. But before she did he could see her glimpse towards him, and their eyes met for another split second. She immediately looked down and walked out the shop without a second of hesitation. Rick looked down in the table, feeling a small shame in the pit of his stomach. What if she wouldn't want to come back to what supposedly was her favorite coffee shop because of him?

* * *

Walking home Kate Beckett didn't know what to think. Had that guy really ordered the same coffee as she did or had she heard wrong? Maybe it was just a coincidence? But then again they kept on telling her at the academy that nothing is by coincidence. She almost jumped at the sudden ringtone from her phone going off, and once she got it up from her pocket she saw her newly found friend's name pop up. Sighing she took a second to prepare herself before she answered the phone.

"Hi Kate! Just figured I would call and see if you wanna go out tonight?" Lanie Parish, a girl studying to become a medical examiner, asked through the phone.

"Hey Lanie, no, thanks. I'm good," Kate answered and she heard her friend sigh in disappointment.

"Come on Kate! You never go out with us, I know you'll have fun," she tried to sound convincing but Kate knew she wouldn't have fun, she never had fun nowadays.

How was she even supposed to imagine having fun when her life had taken such a drastic turn?

"I have a case for homework Lanie, I need to finish it tonight."

She didn't exactly _lie_. She did have a case for homework, and it needed to be finished tonight, she just failed to mention she'd just finished it at her favorite coffee shop. Which reminded her of that guy and she wondered if it was something she should share with her friend, technically it felt like she needed to because she hadn't really told her friend that much about her life outside of school, but at the same time she didn't know how her friend would react to the scene.

"Lanie, on a scale of one to ten how possible is it for a guy to order the exact same coffee as you do?" her question interrupted something Lanie was saying but she couldn't stop it, needing to know if it just could've been a coincidence or not.

Her friend immediately shut up and question, "well, depends, what do you usually order?" Kate immediately answered and she heard her friend whistle in the other end. "No way that guy has the exact same taste unless he's heard you say it," she concluded and Kate bit her lip.

"You really think so? Now that I think about it I believe I've seen him there before but... I didn't even know he watched me until I heard the barista call out his order today."

Kate's heart skipped a beat at the startle of her friend suddenly letting go of a teasing giggle.

"Maybe he's been checking you out, how does he look? Or wait," her voice suddenly raised an octave, as if she suddenly got reminded of something scary, "what if he's stalking you? Where are you right now?" she questioned and Kate rolled her eyes.

But just to be on the safe side she looked behind her, trying to made sure no one was following her.

"He looks about a couple years older than us, I didn't get a good look at him, I tried to sneak a peek when I walked out of there but I got eye contact with him so I just left," Kate decided to leave out the fact that she'd managed to see he had gorgeous, deep blue eyes.

"Then I doubt he's a stalker, but you should still keep an eye out just in case," Lanie concluded.

"Yeah," Kate agreed and before her friend could even consider trying to get her to go out again she said she had to go and ended the call.

Finally at her door she took a deep breath to embrace herself for whatever she'd come home to this time. The second she opened the door she could smell the liquid. Wrinkling her nose she walked inside the apartment that didn't really feel like home anymore.

* * *

The next day Rick was surprised to find the dark corner of the coffee shop empty. A gut wrenching feeling had him almost turning around to walk out again, but he made himself continue towards the cashier. As if on autopilot he ordered the same coffee he had the day before and when he got it he couldn't stop himself from walking to the dark corner. He sat down in her usual spot, decided that now would probably be the only chance he'd ever get to try and understand why the young woman always insisted on sitting there. He took up his laptop and continued on the same project he'd written on the day before. As he wrote he could somehow see why she chose this spot, it was less noisy and he was able to concentrate without distraction from the other people in the shop. Which was also why he jumped at the sudden realization of a cup meeting his table along with someone sitting down in front of him. When he looked up his eyes went wide and there was suddenly a feeling inside his mind that told him to get out of there before it was too late.

"I-uh-I should leave," he stammered and was about to close his laptop when she put a hand out to stop him.

"No, please, don't leave because of me," she said and he felt paralyzed, what the hell was he supposed to do?

The woman he'd observed so many times, the woman whose seat he'd stolen, was sitting across from him with a cup of her own in her hands.

"I have a question," she admitted before taking a sip on her coffee, "did you know I always order a grande skim latte with two pumps sugar free vanilla or has that nothing to do with me at all?" she questioned and he gulped.

He wanted so badly to say no, to say that he had ordered that since he started to drink coffee, but he saw a glimpse in her eyes that threatened she would know if he lied. He broke the eye contact, looking down at his hands on the keyboard of his computer, and hoped that was answer enough.

"Why?" she asked and he gave her a confused look. "I mean, why would you order the same as me? How did you even know what I order?" she explained and he took a deep breath to try and gather his thoughts.

"You-uh... you always sit in this dark corner, and I couldn't help but notice it, which got me curious, which led to me asking the barista about your order."

He knew she'd go call the cops on him, wouldn't even blame her, but he couldn't come up with a good enough excuse as to why he knew so he went with the truth. He didn't say how long he'd noticed her, of course not, that'd be digging his own grave, but he feared she'd ask.

"You noticed me? Why would that make you curious?" she looked a bit confused, as if she tried to figure out how his mind worked.

"Yeah, I come here every day after class, and I noticed you were always here when I got here. And my damn writer's mind is compelled to know the story," he cursed himself for letting his mind go so far.

If he had just decided she was just like everyone else and tried not to engage in his curiosity.

" _Writer's_ _mind_? You're a writer?" she questioned and he cursed under his breath.

Kate couldn't stop looking at the guy in front of her. He looked like he wanted to disappear, his blue eyes were avoiding her as much as possible.

"Well, not technically, yet," the last word was a simple whisper, not meant for her to hear.

She observed him for a couple of silent seconds, maybe it had been stupid of her to try and confront him. But then again he had taken the table she usually sat at so he kind of had to blame himself for it. When Kate had walked to her favorite coffee shop she hadn't planned on talking with the guy who, the day before, had stolen her thoughts. She had even dreamt about him, figuring it was her mind trying to make sense of it all. It wasn't until she had gotten her order from the barista that she realized her table, technically it wasn't hers but considering she always sat there she did think of it as _her_ table, was occupied. And it wasn't until she looked more closely that she had realized it had been the same guy who was occupying it.

"So, you're writing a book?" she asked and if she hadn't been looking at him she probably wouldn't have seen the terrified glimpse his eyes suddenly got as his cheeks went red.

"No."

She could see he was lying, saw it all over his face, and she wondered why he would lie about it. She was about to tease him, but before she opened her mouth she remembered she didn't even know him, and teasing was definitely not the answer. So instead, she reached out her hand past his laptop.

"I'm Kate, by the way," she said and at first he was looking at her hand with big wide eyes for a second before he took it in his and shook.

"Rick," he told her.

She nodded and they let go of each other. Taking a sip of her coffee she wondered if he'd ordered the same today, and figured it would be for the better if she tried to let that go.

"Is it okay if I do my homework here?" she asked instead and he immediately nodded.

"Of course, be my guest! I probably shouldn't have taken your table, I guess the reason you chose this was to the privacy it gives you," he excused himself and she almost chuckled.

"Yeah, well, tell you what. How about we share this table from now on, then you get the privacy to write that non-book you're writing on your laptop while I do my homework," she suggested.

It was a long shot, and she knew this wasn't how she was supposed to react to the fact that someone had been observing her for an unknown amount of time. But she couldn't help it, she was curious. And he didn't seem to be the creepy type, he looked ashamed at what he'd done and that, at least, proved he wasn't some psychopath stalking her. Besides, she needed to know more as to why he'd noticed her, what had made her stick out from all the rest in the shop who was there on a daily basis.

"I'd like that," his whole face lit up in a grin and she couldn't help but mirror his expression.

* * *

Kate sat on her bed with the case files still in her lap. She couldn't for the life of her see the connection. The killer, in one of the cases, was without a doubt the girlfriend, but she had an alibi! And the second kills could only be the husband, but he had an alibi too! And the alibis were both airtight! Kate groaned and looked down at the statements they'd gotten from the teacher after they'd asked their questions. She flinched when her phone made itself heard from her pillow. She read to lay down on her side to be able to reach it and looked at the screen. Her lips broke up in a big smile at the photo she'd snapped of him when he had been so concentrated on whatever he was writing.

"Kate," she answered and her smile widened when Rick started talking.

"I had a feeling you needed a break from all that studying you do so, hey!"

She could stop the chuckle as she whined, "you're the one in need of procrastinating, I actually enjoy learning."

"Hmm, maybe you're right... oh well, so what are you working on?" he asked and she could almost hear the glimpse of curiosity that always took over his blue eyes when he wanted to know something about her.

"Two complicated cases, I can't figure it out!" she complained with irritation. "They're no way connected and I honestly don't get why they would give them to us at the same time."

She knew he could hear how frustrated she was but she didn't care, after sitting at the same table for nearly two months she would without a doubt call him a dear friend.

"Tell me about them, maybe I can help," Rick suggested, and she rolled her eyes.

"If you really insist on helping, how about you come over here instead, my dad's out of town anyway so no one's here to protest."

She heard him inhale a surprised breath before he answered eagerly asking for her address, which she immediately told him. They ended the call and Kate exhaled slowly, she'd just invited Rick for the first time and if she was honest with herself she was a bit nervous. She jumped up from the bed to put away some clothes she had already used but not yet thrown in the washer basket. Once she considered her bedroom clean enough she walked downstairs to make sure everything was in order. She didn't want him to find her home messy, and she didn't know why but she was pretty sure she had butterflies in her belly. When a knock sounded through the house she took a deep breath and went to open the door.

Rick held his breath as he knocked on the door he presumed was hers. When she opened the door he almost forgot to start breath again, she might be wearing the simplest as sweatpants and a Mickey Mouse t-shirt but she was, oh so, stunning. He couldn't believe how easy it was for her to take his breath away.

"Hey, come on in," she opened the door wider for him to enter.

"Thanks," he quickly said walking inside.

The second he came inside he looked around the living room he had entered, before he had been able to observe enough Kate went past him and told him to follow her. Without hesitation he followed her up the stairs, carefully observing her from the back. Her hair was up in a messy bun and he couldn't help but, once again, admire how beautiful she looked in her comfy outfit. The second they stepped foot into a room, where she immediately sat down on a bed with a purple cover, he stopped in his tracks realizing she'd led him to her bedroom.

"Oh, come on Rick, it's just a bed," Kate commented with a mocking voice when she saw his hesitation.

She made room and patted on the bed right next to her before she turned to grab the case files she had laid out in a half moon around her. It took a few minutes before he got his legs to work again and he as sat down beside her she held out a few papers towards him. Once he granted them she told him they should get to work, her cheeks were a bit flushed but he tried to ignore it knowing it couldn't be because of him. That'd be silly considering they were only coffee buddies.

* * *

"I see what you mean, this is impossible!" Rick groaned after they had discussed for a full hour without coming to any sort of solution.

"See! I told you!" Kate exclaimed throwing the paper she held in her hand onto the bed with exhaustion. "Maybe you could take my murder again and I'll take yours in case we missed something earlier," she added reaching for the case he'd focused on.

Before she could get a grip on the papers he pulled them away with a sudden glimpse in his eyes.

"What?" she questioned as he looked in the papers again and then looked at the papers from the case she'd focused on.

"Could it be that easy?" he asked, more to himself than to her. He reached for one of the papers and put each killer on the other's victim, "I take yours, you take mine."

At first she gave him a confused what-the-hell look but then her eyes widened and she looked at the pictures along with the suspects and the victims. _That was it!_

"Oh my god! You're right!" she yelled out with a her lips turning up a lot faster than he'd seen before.

He couldn't help but smile at the relieved happiness shining in her eyes. However shock soon filled his entered being as she, faster than lightning, leaned towards him and kissed his lips in a haste. She quickly pulled away and they looked at each other with wide eyes.

"Sorry!" her whisper wasn't louder than an exhale and her eyes darted down to her case files, her hands trembling to start collecting the papers into the two maps.

Rick felt as though he couldn't move. The ghost of her lips still lingered on his and a part of him wanted nothing more than to claim hers again. It felt as though a yearning that had been pushed down for weeks was suddenly rising to the surface. He tried shaking his head to get rid of it but it wouldn't go away, so he quietly helped her collect the papers before he stood up to create distance between them.

"I should get going," he announced which had her eyes snapped towards him.

"What, why?" she questioned surprised.

Kate didn't want him to leave, she'd not just simply invited him over because of the case, she'd thought about inviting him for about a month. She just hadn't found a good enough reason until now.

"Case... solved," he mumbled and she could sense the insecurity he felt.

"Yeah, but... what about dinner? You could stay for dinner?" she grasped for anything that could make him stay.

Honestly she didn't know why, but she had this strong feeling that she didn't want him to go. Especially not now when she'd tasted his smile.

"You sure?" he questioned and she nodded, probably more excitedly than she should be.

"Of course!" she bit her lower lip, "I mean, I won't exactly have anyone else to join me."

With her dad... out of town, she was the only one in the big house and it did evoke an emptiness inside of her that was eating her alive. She didn't want to spend another night alone, obviously she wasn't going to ask him to stay the whole night, but she wouldn't deny a few more hours of company if she could get it.

"Right, your dad was out of town?" Rick asked and drew her mind out of her thoughts.

"Yeah, he's uh..." Rick was grateful he was watching her because if he hadn't he wouldn't have seen the sorrow that filled her mind.

If he hadn't seen the look in her eyes he wouldn't have been able to do his best to bring back that beautiful smile of hers by opening his mouth.

"I'd love some dinner, if you're okay with it I'll be happy to cook something for you."

Her eyes revealed the surprise she felt before her lips finally turned up in a sincere smile and he couldn't stop the thought of how it would be like to kiss her properly. He tried to push that thought away because even though she had technically kissed him he was pretty sure it would not happen again. Ever.

Together they walked down to the kitchen where Kate gave her guest permission to search through the fridge. It took him him about three looks to figure out she didn't have much to choose between, but that didn't stop him from making the most delicious dinner he could from what she had. Rick was most definitely satisfied with the moan that escaped the brunette's lips when she took a bite of the food he'd made, and the blush following on her cheeks made his belly flip with butterflies. He constantly reminded himself this was _not_ a date and that he shouldn't be feeling this electric excitement that shot through his veins.

"You want some coffee?" Kate asked when they had put away everything they'd used in the dishwasher machine.

Rick was both disappointed and relieved they had a dishwasher. He would've loved to explore what it would've felt like to clean the dishes with her, to see if she would kill him or join in if he started a war with the foam.

"Yes, please," he answered her question and she immediately went to work on getting them the coffee they needed.

Rick saw an opportunity to sneak away from the kitchen then and decided to take it. He went into the living room and went straight for the pictures he could see in the book shells. He'd seen a glimpse of them when he entered her house earlier that day and couldn't ignore the curiosity anymore. The pictures were a mix of older and newer ones, some of, what he presumed, Kate as a baby and some of her from maybe a year and a half ago. He couldn't help but observe the pictures and give it his best shot to memorize every single line on her beautiful face, from toddler to kid to teenager to young adult. She was stunning, absolutely perfect, and he caught himself thinking exactly those words, suddenly realization hit him. He was falling for her. He was falling so hard, and there were nothing he could do to stop it. The yearning he'd felt before was still there, waiting for him to take the shot and risk his heart to find out if she was willing to give him a chance at being...

"There you are!" her sudden statement sent him jumping at the fear of getting caught, but her chuckle calmed him immediately. "Coffee's done, you wanna sit down here or do you wanna continue the snooping in my bedroom?"

Her eyebrows raised in challenge and he cleared his throat as he went towards her to accept the cup she was holding out to him.

"I wasn't snooping," he lied, taking a sip from the still too hot coffee and cursed under his breath for burning his tongue.

"God punishes some people immediately," Kate mocked, indicating that he'd lied and gotten burned because of it.

"Where have your heard that?" he asked, because he certainly hadn't heard that phrase ever before.

"My mom used to say it," she shrugged her shoulders and started for the stairs.

Suddenly he wondered where she were to be found, but something in her tone and the way her back stiffened when she walked up the stairs had him figuring it wasn't something she wanted to talk about. So he followed her in silence, being extremely careful with his cup in order not to spill any of his delicious coffee.

"My drawers are off limits, but, other than that, feel free to look in my shells and anything that's out in plain sight," he followed her with his eyes as she once again sat down on her bed, hugging her coffee cup between her palms.

Rick decided that even though she was literally inviting him to snoop around in her room he wouldn't do that. He would respect her privacy, of course he was curious and wanted to but something told him he would be able to find out everything about her further along. Instead he joined her on her bed his feet mirroring her by pulling up his legs and turned his body to face her surprised face.

"What, no snooping?" she almost sounded disappointed.

"Nope," he popped the p and took another sip of his coffee. "Though I do have questions," he admitted.

Their eyes met and he saw curiosity glimpse in her eyes.

"Yeah? Like what?" she challenged.

It didn't take long before they were exchanging answers as if they'd agreed on playing 20 questions. Rick learned Kate was quite as curious as he was about everything circling him. They talked about how the coffee shop became their favorite one and Kate managed to squeeze out how long Rick had observed her before she caught him. Of course he'd been reluctant to revealing it but after she had promised a thousand times over that she wouldn't kill nor shut him out he chose to tell her.

"Well, I guess it's only fair if I ask an almost equally as embarrassing question now," Rick ended with a smirk which had Kate's eyes widen in small fear. "When and how did the Kate Beckett loose her virginity?" he questioned and as her eyes widened slightly more there was a sudden thought passing his lips, "or perhaps you haven't lost it yet."

The realization dawned on him that perhaps she hadn't... what if it was a too sensitive subject? What if he just crushed the friendship they had only just started?

"I-uh," her cheeks blushed and he held his breath, expecting her to kick him out now, "I was sixteen and my boyfriend at the time were a year older than me, I was in my rebellion years and wanted to do everything that I shouldn't."

He was surprised by her honesty, and his stomach turned at the images his mind was creating of another guy doing what he found himself wanting. He suddenly regretted asking and it wasn't until she chuckled that he realized he'd shown his disgust by scrunching up his face. His heart skipped a beat when her hand suddenly landed on his knee and when she hugged it he so wished he was brave enough to lean forward to kiss her.

"So, when does your father come home?" he tried changing the subject to distract himself.

"Oh," her hand left his knee at the same time as her eyes cut off their contact, and he cursed himself for once again asking the wrong question.

"I'm sorry," he quickly apologized, "it's none of my business."

She immediately looked up at him and shook her head, saying he shouldn't worry. He saw her eyes water a little and he wanted to slap himself.

"My dad's in rehab... getting help from the alcohol he started consuming after my mo-om..." her voice shuttered and he felt the sudden urge to comfort her. She took a deep breath before she was able to continue, "She was killed two years ago, which was the reason I started at the police academy."

Rick carefully grabbed her empty coffee cup and put it on the nightstand together with his own before turning towards her. He gently held out his arms, silently inviting her to a hug in the best way he could think of. The thought of her pushing him away if he'd simply put his arms around her was more painful than the act of actually giving her a choice before. Her eyes were suddenly searching his, and he had no idea what she found but he could see she was battling herself over what to do, could see the inner war she was fighting. To his delight her body fell closer to his and soon enough he could close his arms around her in the hug she accepted.

They sat like that for a few minutes, silent, and Kate could feel the calming comfort travel from his body to hers. She found herself snuggling closer to his body, feeling oddly more satisfied than she's ever done in anyone's embrace. Safe even. How that was possibly was beyond her. Nobody had ever made her feel the way his secure arms were. It only increased when she out of the blue could feel his lips on the top of her head, his nose carefully inhaling her scent deep into his lungs.

"Thank you," she whispered into his chest before she took another calming breath with his smell and gently pushed away. "It's getting late, do you want to sleep over or would you prefer..." she couldn't get herself to utter the suggestion of him leaving.

Rick looked out the window, suddenly realizing it'd gotten dark, but didn't really want to leave.

"Well, as long as you don't want me out of here I'll be happy to stay," he shrugged his shoulders, trying to act normal.

"I don't, it's so empty at night," she confessed, not sure why she was suddenly telling him all of this.

"Then I'll just take the couch and you won't have to wake up to an empty house," his statement was supposed to be a small joke but the look she gave him told him she wasn't amused.

"No, not a chance, if you don't mind we can share my bed or I'll take the couch, you're the guest," she insisted and he couldn't help the roll of his eyes.

After the determined look she had in her eyes he conceded and agreed to share the bed, because there was _no way_ he would let her sleep on the couch in her own house. They talked for a while longer before they took turns yawning and decided it was late enough for bed. It wasn't until they laid beside each other in the small bed that Rick couldn't understand how lucky he had been. The young woman, who he'd admired for months, had not only invited him to her house but was right now laying in the same bed as him. Their sides were touching and the thoughts running around his mind where far from innocent ones and he hoped to god she would never get to know of them.

"Night Rick," she interrupted his unholy thoughts.

"Until tomorrow," he automatically replied and he could sense her eyes on him in a questioning matter, but since she didn't say anything they both slowly drifted off into the night.

* * *

 _TO BE CONTINUED_

* * *

A/N:

After many ifs and buts I realized this one shot was getting waaaaay too long, so I'm splitting it. I have no clue as to if the next part will be as long as this one (probably won't) but at least now you know there _IS_ indeed a second part. Hope you enjoyed and please, let me know if you even want a second part in the reviews/comments! xxx


	24. Chapter 24 - Coffee lovers

_Continuation of "Coffee buddies"._

* * *

Kate Beckett was about to turn in her bed when she felt herself heavier down by something on her chest. _What the hell?_ Trying her best to wake up it took about a minute before she could finally open her eyes to look down at her chest. She was surprised to see thick, brown hair there and wondered what the hell was going on. It took about a few seconds more before she remembered who her overnight guest was. Rick Castle. The guy who'd confessed he'd been watching her for _months_ before she even noticed him in her favorite coffee shop. Suddenly she realized he was not only resting his head on her chest but his upper body was draped over her. He was _literally laying on top of her_. And _why, the hell, does it feel so good?!_ Their legs were tangled in a way that were as far away from the friendzone as possible. The way their bodies aligned towards each other had her mind spinning because, _oh god_ , she would be lying if she said she didn't like it. His hair looked so soft that, before she knew it, she reached out with her left hand to let her fingers touch it. Feeling it was even softer than she could've imagined she found herself tangling her fingers with his hair. She felt hypnotized by the satisfaction spreading through her fingers, her eyes stuck on his scalp as she massaged it. _What the hell am I doing?_ She sighed, and the change of height had him suddenly moving which had _her_ suddenly freezing with fright. Her hand was still in his hair and when he mumbled something incoherent she held her breath fearing he was waking up. To her surprise his arm, that laid across her, hugged her tighter while his head rubbed closer to her chest, right between her breasts. As soon as he was snoozing deep again she let go of her breath, biting her lip and once again wondering what the hell she was doing. She was cuddling with a guy she'd known for two months while he was _sleeping_. What was wrong with her? But then again she couldn't stop. It felt so right, _why did it feel right?!_

"Mm, you smell nice," his sudden wide awake statement had her body jerking in a startle.

Looking down at him she saw his eyes slowly blinking open before his eyes searched their way up to hers, and in the split of a second his eyes went wide with shock and embarrassment.

"Sorry!" he exclaimed as he pushed his body up on his elbows.

Her hand left his hair and she knew her cheeks were as red as a paprika because she saw his glances between her face and the fingers that had just been in his hair.

"You... did you..." he looked confused and she looked up at the roof to avoid his gaze while biting her lip.

 _What was wrong with her? And why did she feel so drawn to him?_ The thought kept circling around her mind and it got interrupted first when he was suddenly hovering right above her face. His eyes glanced between hers as if he was searching for something and she felt her heart pumping faster.

"What...?" he didn't let her finish her question before he put his lips onto hers.

It was just a gentle push, as if he was asking permission, and it ignited a fire inside of her. She found herself kissing him back, found herself wanting... no, _craving,_ more. Which was why she whimpered at the loss of his lips when he pulled away too soon for her liking.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..." she didn't even let him finish because she couldn't take him apologizing for something she wanted so badly.

Rick felt shock and excitement fill his body when she crashed her lips onto his again, her fingers sneaking into his hair to hold him close to her. It was like his body had a mind of its own as he pushed his body into hers, his thigh taking place between her legs. He felt her trying to grind up to his thigh and he knew he should stop her, he just _knew_ this was not what they were supposed to do, but her actions had sent arousal down his body. And the way her tongue somehow slipped past his lips had him groaning, his member hardening at the thought of how good they would be together. The small things she'd done so far, her fingers massaging his scalp and the tingle of her lips against his, was enough to send him through the roof. Kate's ministrations were too much and yet not enough, _fucking hell,_ he wanted her so badly. His hand moved from her sheet to her hip, which he gripped tight in order to pull her even closer to his body as he pushed his into hers.

Kate gasped when his fingers teased along the hem of her pj pants. Her belly shaking in anticipation, waiting for his hand to move closer to where she wanted him most. His lips left hers but didn't disappoint since they started kissing their way down her jaw to her neck instead. She could feel he hesitated for about a tenth of a second before his tongue created a trail between her shoulder and her ear, leaving her shivering and when he blew on the wet trail she gasped from the sensation it caused. _That_ she had no idea could feel like that. Her whole body felt like screaming from the things he was making her feel, _and he hadn't even touched her yet!_ His fingers kept running back and forth by the hem of her pants and it was driving her _insane_.

"Please. Rick, please," she moaned, feeling needier than ever.

As he laid his lips onto her neck again she could feel his lips were up in a wide smile. His fingers slipped through her pants, into her panties and, _oh finally_ ,he was touching her. She moaned out his name and it was ridiculous how fast her first orgasm hit her.

Rick groaned at how wet she was against his fingers, and when her body indicated her orgasm hit her he prolonged it by pushing a finger into her, making her scream. No matter how much he loved hearing that he pressed his lips on hers again in a passionate kiss. He couldn't believe the arousal he got from satisfying her, it made him so hot knowing he could make her moan like that. He sucked her lower lip before letting her lips go again, which evoked a sound of disappointment before she surprised him by flipping them over and crushing her lips on his again. When she pushed his hand out of her pants only to grind into his hips he groaned deep.

"If you keep doing that there's absolute no turning back," he mumbled against her lips, because no matter how much he wanted this he had a voice in his head telling him they were taking it too far.

God he only hoped she wouldn't kick him out for what he'd already done, but the way she was rolling her hips into his had him doubting she didn't want this as much as he did. Still, he had that small fear she'd regret it all.

Kate wanted nothing more than to take that insecurity away from him because there was absolutely no way she wanted to stop. She had never felt this way with anyone else, she had never felt so _alive_ like she did in that moment. But she didn't know how to reassure him, to make him understand she wanted to continue, she wanted...

"I want you," she whispered close to his ear, her whisper filled with lust and determination.

She felt him twitch against her, his boxers not hiding his excitement one bit, and she was so glad she'd told him she was okay with him sleeping in only his boxers and t-shirt. It made it so much easier when she started undressing him, pulling his shirt off first and waiting with his boxers until her pj pants and shirt was out of the way too. She was certain all his hesitation was gone the second he turned them over again, pushing her body into the mattress. With her shirt off his fingers started circling around one of her breasts, circling in towards the middle and sending shockwaves down her spine. It was all so electric and she didn't realized she had closed her eyes until she opened them in surprise to see his lips around her breast, sucking lightly as his tongue played with her nipple. She was dripping with arousal, knowing she'd probably destroyed her panties by now. His fingers went down from one breast to her hip, playing with the hem of the only clothing keeping her from being complete naked. She lifted her hips to give him enough space to remove it, the sudden freedom had her drawing in a sharp breath, and as he paid the same attention to her other breast she let her hands go down to the, _now_ , only clothing keeping them apart. His member was sprung free and she moaned when he was between her legs. With the clothes finally out of the way it only took a minute before their bodies were aligned and another minute of silent conversation with their eyes, making sure there was no regret to be seen.

When he entered her they both groaned, Rick slowly pushing in deeper and deeper. Their lips were drawn together like two ends of magnets. Kate found herself mewling and melting into him, his body joining hers as closely as it possibly could. Once she had adjusted to his size he started moving, going slow at first but increasing with each thrust. They had to break lips to catch their breaths and at that moment they got eye contact. Their eyes were darkened by the lust consuming their minds, and even though none of them would admit it there were hints of that deeper feeling inside their eyes. Kate sneaked her fingers up and down his back, letting her nails scratch a little, and she felt her climax coming up. She could feel he was close too and when he suddenly gripped her hands to pin them above her head she grunted with pleasure filling her body. He trapped her hands with one of his while his second went down between them to start rubbing her clit which immediately did it for her. Her orgasm hit her hard, her insides clenching around him and she felt him follow her into the high. As they both stilled his lips crashed on hers and so did his body, feeling completely drained and sated. The kiss was so sloppy and yet so wonderful that Kate didn't mind his body on top of hers at all. It was he who felt like he was crushing her and therefore rolled off her as quick as he could, even though as quick as he could meant it took about a minute. Already missing his body Kate immediately followed and snuggled close into his body, letting her head land on his shoulder.

They stayed quiet then, both panting and trying to calm down. Before Kate knew it she was dozing off again, feeling perfectly happy.

* * *

Cold. Lonely. Empty.

That's how she woke up. Not a trace of her bed companion. Was it all a dream? Did she really have a sexual dream about _Rick_? She looked around her bed, but seeing he was not in it she sat up and let her eyes roam her room. Letting go of a long exhale she hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath until she saw his pants and socks on the chair she'd directed him to the night before. _But where is he?_ As she raised from her bed she remembered she didn't have any clothes on, her pjs and panties nicely thrown onto the floor beside her bed. She pinched the bridge of her nose before she went to her drawers, pulling out new panties and after they were on she reached for her robe. There was no point in putting on her pjs again and dressing in new clothes for the day wasn't exactly what was on her mind right now. Right now she needed to find the guy who she'd had sex with only a couple hours earlier. Walking out of her room she immediately heard something coming from the kitchen downstairs and when she reached the stairs the smell of coffee hit her nostrils, along with a familiar smell she had almost forgotten existed. _Pancakes_.

Rick stood by the stove, flipping a pancake in the air, as she entered the kitchen without any sound at all. Kate remembered all the times she'd sneaked up on her mom making pancakes when she was a kid, always hearing her mother complain about the floor not caring about her heart enough to warn her before her ninja to daughter scared the life out of her. It was really tempting scaring the living shit out of him after the way she'd gotten a small heart attack when she woke up without him, but she knew he'd jump enough without her scaring him on purpose. She leant towards the door opening, observing his body. He had put on his shirt and boxers again, his back seemed a bit tense and each time he moved he did it slowly. She wondered if his body was as sore as hers, because now that she had time to actually _feel_ her body she knew none of it had been a dream. If she'd just taken the time for that before she went searching for him she wouldn't have doubted any of it. _Damn that hurt good_.

"Morning," she carefully half-said half-whispered into the room and the way his back flinched she knew he hadn't heard her come in.

When Rick turned around she saw his body relax again the second he saw her.

"Good morning," he greeted with a warm smile spreading on his lips. "Thought I'd make you breakfast," he said pointing to the pancakes with the spatula in his hands.

"Shouldn't I be doing that? You're the guest," she teased while he put another pancake on the pile of pancakes he'd already made.

He looked up at her and glanced down at the breakfast before he shook his head, "Nah". She couldn't help but giggle at his answer, finding his action adorable and sweet. Catching herself biting her lower lip she wondered how it was possible for him to give her the giddy feeling her whole body was filled with. Before she knew it he was putting away the pan and took the two plates of pancakes to the dining table, telling her to take a seat. While she got seated he went to fetch the coffee, and she felt her cheeks start to hurt from all the smiling she'd already been through. She never smiled this much, _never_. What made him so special? What made him the only one making her feel this way?

"Bon appétit," Rick said, putting her coffee cup in front of her before he retreated to the chair in front of her.

Rick shivered of satisfaction when he heard her moan at the taste, immediately pulling him back to a couple hours earlier when he'd made love to her. It wasn't the exact same moan, because they were two complete different kind of pleasures, but he couldn't help how his mind worked. And he would be lying if he claimed he didn't want to hear it again.

"You liked it?" he casually asked, trying to push away the fluttering in his stomach.

"Are you kidding? This is amazing!" she moaned again to make her point and he felt proud.

They didn't talk for the rest of their meal, not wanting to disturb the delicious taste as they ate. Rick kept stealing glances at her, noticing the way her lips were in a constant smile, her hair a little ruffled after their morning activities, her cheeks flushing every time he eyes met his. He realized she had let him in a lot more than she had probably let anyone in. Wondering how many of her friends knew about her mother's death and her father's rehabilitation. He wondered how many nights she'd slept alone, how many times she'd cried herself to sleep. Because something told him she had, and not only once or twice, he felt his stomach scrunch at the realization. She had let him sleep over, in her _bed_ , and she hadn't pushed him away when he'd kissed her. Hadn't asked him to stop. In fact, she had even encouraged him by confessing to her own desire. And by the look on her face, she wanted him as much as he wanted her, still.

"Are you free tonight?" he asked when the pancakes were finished and they'd moved on to the coffee.

"Yeah, why?" she asked, he could hear the small nervousness that hid well in her voice.

His grin went bigger without his consent, revealing how much of a fool he was. He had a feeling he was falling in love with the woman in front of him.

"Meet me at our coffee shop at five pm and I'll show you," he had a teasing glimpse in his eyes.

" _Our_ coffee shop?" her eyebrows raised in a teasing challenge.

"Of course, _our_ coffee shop," he winked and he saw she bit her lip again.

After a few silent seconds she opened her mouth and breathed out "Okay" and if it hadn't been for the fact that he was sitting, or the fact that she could see and hear him, he would've jumped around in a happy victory dance. Now all he had to do was go home and make sure their first date would be as amazing as their morning in bed had been.

* * *

The minute she stepped into the coffee shop her eyes were drawn to their table. Yes, _their_ table. It was a long time ago she considered it only hers, a few days after they decided to share it she started considering it as _theirs_. And now, she wanted to consider everything theirs. Fear was one of the feelings that consisted inside of her but the feeling that told her he would never hurt her was bigger, telling her they would be amazing. His _lips_ were telling her everything she needed to know. The way they kissed hers, as if they were long lost lovers, as if they'd known each other forever, as if there were no one else in the world. He'd kissed her so gently and yet so determined after they'd drunken their coffees that morning. He'd told her he wanted more, and he wanted it with her. He didn't want to be just coffee buddies anymore, and if she was to be honest, neither did she. So when her eyes were drawn to their table her lips went from ear to ear as she noticed he was already there, with two coffees on the table. To a small surprise it was to-go cups and not the ordinary ones that stay in the shop. The second he looked up and their eyes met his lips went up in a mirroring smile. Her feet were walking on their own then, as if he was the other side of a magnet she needed to connect to.

"Hi," she greeted shyly when she reached the table and he stood up to place himself in front of her.

His palms carefully cupped her cheeks as he leant in to kiss her slowly. Her knees felt weak the second their lips touched and she swore that if he would keep this up she would most definitely be a pool on the floor soon. Her fingers tangling themselves into his shirt at his sides to try and pull him closer to her had him waking up from the obvious hypnosis he'd been in. He carefully let go of her lips in order to pull away and catch his breath, to try and calm down his racing heart. She understood this was exactly what he was doing because she was simply doing the same thing. Her heart ached to feel his touch all over her body, but she knew this was not the time nor place. She needed to compose herself before it was too far along.

"Hey," he greeted breathily.

It took them another two seconds before Rick finally moved, and surprised her with his movements. He grabbed their coffee, handling one to her before telling her to follow him.

"We're not staying here?" she asked and he shook his head with a smirk on his lips.

"Nope, what kind of date would that be?" he winked at her and she felt her cheeks blush.

She hoped he didn't mean he had booked something fancy at a restaurant because no matter how great any other girl would like that she wasn't... she just didn't want things like that. Out on the street he went left and so she followed, letting him walk a few feet in front of her to be able to follow without risking loosing the sight of him.

"Then where are we going?" she asked, a small fear lingering deep in her voice and at first she thought he couldn't hear it but after getting a sympathetic look from him she felt her cheeks redden from the embarrassment.

He slowed down his pace enough to be able to walk right next to her, she felt her heart skip a beat when his fingers sneaked between hers in a gentle hug, intertwining their fingers.

"Don't worry Kate, you'll like this, it's nothing big," he assured her, his eyes glimpsing with honest excitement.

Even though he probably could've been lying to make her feel better she knew he was telling the truth, she could feel her whole body relax at his words. She leant her head on his shoulder in order to try and hide her smile from him, and she took a sip of the coffee he'd gotten her. _Mm, grande skim latte with two pumps sugar free vanilla_.

Rick led her towards his apartment, he had planned the whole thing. First step was to get her her favorite coffee, check. Second was to make sure she would be able to learn the way she could take to his home. Third step was to show her around in his apartment, making sure she felt comfortable. The last he'd thought out would be a surprise he hoped she'd never forget. Well, actually, it was two surprises, but one of them would be personally for her and the other would be a personal accomplishment that he wanted her to see. He wanted so badly to just tell her, also had a feeling that would calm her even more, but he didn't want to ruin the planning he'd made. That's why he had a real proud grin plastered on his face once they reached his apartment door without even mentioning a single word about his thoughts.

"Welcome to casa de Castle," Rick joked when he opened his door for her to step in first.

He saw she was surprised but amused with him. It made him wonder what she was thinking, if she even had the slightest clue as to where they'd been headed. Especially since they walked into the apartment building, that must've been a big spoiler. Maybe he should've gone with the blindfold like he originally had in mind. Then again, that probably would've scared her off more than anything else would. Rick observed Kate's face as good as he could while she stepped inside, seeing enjoyment on her face made his stomach flip with a bunch of happy dances.

"You live here?" she questioned while she looked around, taking the place in.

"Yes," he answered and closed the door behind them.

He locked the door, mostly out of habit since he normally didn't have anyone to accompany him during his evenings. Now he couldn't help but hope that would change. He couldn't help but hope that a certain brunette would join him, didn't really matter if it was at his place or hers, as long as they spent the evenings together.

"No roommate? Family?" she asked, her voice careful as to not hurt his feelings if they were bad subjects.

He figured it was because of her own background, if she was the one living like he did and someone asked her about her family she would probably shut down and not want to talk to that person ever again. Or at least, that's what her eyes told him, and if it hadn't been for last night he hadn't been able to read her right now. God, how grateful he was she'd opened up to him. There was nothing he wanted more than to keep her close to his heart. Surely, they'd only known each other for two months, give or take for the days, but after this morning, when he'd let himself _feel_... he didn't _want_ to let go of that feeling! There was no chance in hell he'd let her go, unless she didn't feel the same way of course, he wasn't going to keep her prisoner.

"No, when I started college I suddenly understood how viable alone time was to be able to study, especially with my mother as the parent. Don't mistake me, I love her, but her being an actress and constantly forcing me into helping her rehearse scenes didn't work with my school schedule," he shrugged his shoulders with an amused smile. "And so I decided it was time to get along on my own, after saving enough money I found this apartment and decided this would be it."

Kate nodded, understanding what he meant, not that long ago she'd come home to her dad either drinking, missing or passed out on the couch. There hadn't been much studying while worrying about her only parent left getting hit by a car while being out for another drink. Now that he wasn't at home, and she knew he was safe at a rehabilitation center, she finally felt free enough to take her studies seriously.

"How come you didn't choose to have a roommate?" Kate asked curiously, because even though she knew she probably shouldn't ask she couldn't stop the curiosity from slipping through her mouth.

"Well, at first I intended to, but knowing I'd only get annoyed if I ended up with the wrong one and knowing I wouldn't be able to kick the person out I chose against it."

She chuckled at that, feeling like it would probably have been the other way around. Rick might be a guy she could see herself be with, but she already knew exactly how annoying he could be at times, how childish he was.

Rick himself was quite amused by how easy she was already taking in his home, how at ease she seemed. He couldn't help but feel his heart swell at the sight of her walking up to his book shells and freely looking at the photos he had there.

"This your mother?" she asked pointing to the redheaded woman in some of the pictures.

"Yes, Martha Rodgers, the most dramatic person I've ever met," he chuckled and she joined in.

Rick watched her as her face softened and he wondered if the sad glimpse in her eyes had to do with the missing of her own mother. He decided it was probably time for his first surprise.

"I have something for you, it's a small surprise and I know it's kind of creepy but I want you to see it, have it," he carefully took her hand in his and felt the static run through his veins with amazement.

Her eyes sparkled with excitement and he'd do anything to be able to bring that out all the time. Tugging lightly on her hand he was once again the one to lead her, this time to the room he considered his study. If he were to describe it to anyone he'd say it was where his magic happened. He let go of her hand when they were standing in front of his desk and he told her to wait there while he rounded the table to be able to grab his surprise out of one of the desks. When he looked up at her she saw the surprise and wonder as she took in the sight of the small book he held in his hands. Before he could even reach it out to her he bit the insides of his cheeks, suddenly nervous about showing it to her. _What if she ran away?_ What if this would be the last time he saw her before she had police arrest him? What if... he tried to shake the feelings, tried to get a grip on himself.

"I'm not sure I should show you this, but I would feel even worse keeping it from you," he confessed as he gave it to her curious hands.

He didn't dare move from the spot behind his desk, afraid that if he took a step towards her in any way it would have her running out of there.

Kate looked down at the small book in her hands, it wasn't heavy, only indicating there were a few pages, and at first she didn't understand what his worries were all about. Then she looked at the cover, the title, and she suddenly understood exactly what it was all about.

"Is this _me_?" she exhaled, not louder than a breath.

On the cover was a picture of her, at their table. It was taken from behind, so the only people who'd know it was her were the people who knew her, personally. But even through the back of her she could see she was concentrated on whatever she was working on, pen in her hand as she scribbled something on the papers in front of her. Kate glanced up at the guy in front of her, saw the small shame in his body while he looked down at his desk. Looking back down at the book she took in the title. _The mystery of the beautiful coffee lover_. After taking a deep breath to calm herself she opened the book, deciding to read it before she asked any more questions.

 _To Kate Beckett,_ _I know this is not what you expected, but you inspired me to continue when I didn't think I would. This book is yours, only yours, and I hope you'll understand what you mean to me by reading this. I want to thank you for everything. Yours, Rick._

She bit her lip, immediately wondering what he meant. What did she inspire him to continue? What did she do? To find out she turned the page.

* * *

Kate closed the small book, _her_ book. It hadn't taken that long for her to read it, she was a fast reader and the book hadn't been that long, but she was shocked by his words. Looking up from the couch she'd found herself sitting down in, apparently his study had a couch she hadn't noticed when first entering, and she saw him sitting by his desk with a scared expression on his face. Rick wasn't looking her way, which she assumed was because he was too afraid to see her reaction to the fact that he'd written a whole book about her. Well, some of it was from before they started talking, and sure, those parts were maybe a little creepy, but somehow she'd finally understood why he'd been curious about her. Why he'd tried the same drink as she had. In the book it described how he'd been in a writer's block in his project but that when he'd seen her, spending her afternoons in the same corner every day, he'd re-found his inspiration to write, to seek the story. She read about how he'd felt after her confrontation, how he'd felt after she'd asked him if they could share the table, how he'd felt when they became closer and closer for each day. In the end he'd written down the feelings that had been released after the'd made love, how it made him want her more. How it made him want _them_ to be more, because he could swear he was falling for her. The reason he knew he was falling was because he had suddenly realized how he so badly wanted to fall asleep with her next to him, and desired to wake up with her still there. Every morning, always.

"Rick?" her voice startled him, had his body jerk with fear before he let his eyes land on hers. "I want you too."

Her confession wasn't exactly what she'd meant to say, but it was coming straight from her heart. She wanted him too. She found herself thinking about him all the time, she found herself falling for him too, she wanted nothing more than to be more with him. She found it weird and frightening, but it was true. And after their morning it had only increased and become more and more obvious to her that it was exactly what she wanted.

"You do?" he asked and she could hear in his voice how much he didn't believe it.

Making a quick decision she raised from the couch, keeping the book close to her heart as she strode over to behind his desk, and the second she was close enough she bent down to put her lips on his. His lips moved almost immediately with hers, the strong connection between them not letting any of them pull back until they were out of breath.

"Yes, I do. This is creepy, but also adorable and I don't want us to be coffee buddies anymore. It's not how I feel, not how you feel," she mumbled against his lips as she tried to catch his breath.

Rick stood up, cupping her cheeks between his warm hands and kissed her again, not believing it worked. His love for her had overcome the creepiness in that book. This time when they pulled away he couldn't help but smile with his whole face, excitement filling his eyes.

"I have another surprise," he confessed after her eyebrows had raised in question.

He let go of her to be able to open his laptop, picking it up and revealing the screen to her. At first she had no clue as to what she was looking at, but after thirty seconds she realized he was showing her a mail. And it took another thirty seconds for her to read it and understand the meaning of it.

" _You finished your book?!_ " she screamed out with shock and excitement, a grin overtaking her lips.

 _Dear Richard Castle, we are pleased to announce we would like to publish your novel_ In a hail of bullets _. We'll be in touch with more information soon. Sincerely, Black Pawn._

Kate felt so proud of him! He'd done it!

"All thanks to you Kate, if it hadn't been for your grace in that coffee shop, or for your endless support since I told you about it, I wouldn't have had the courage," Rick told her and she jumped up and down, too happy for her own good.

She took the laptop from his hands in order to put it on his desk to finally, _finally_ , put her arms around his neck and pull him into a tight hug. He only laughed and hugged her back, so grateful for her reaction to all of this. So grateful his curiosity had led to the love he felt and not to the jail he'd thought. Because he did love her, and, after getting the reaction he did, there was nothing to stop him to make love to her all night for the rest of their lives together.

* * *

 _THE END_


	25. Chapter 25 - A mother's love

_Prompt: Could have bonded over Alexis never seeing her mother with Beckett loosing hers._

* * *

Kate Beckett put the key in the door and unlocked it. When she stepped into the loft she halfway expected her husband to come greet her, but as she took off her shoes she remembered he wouldn't be home until late. Like late-late. He'd had a book party he was forced to go to and if it hadn't been for the body drop she would've accompanied him. She knew he absolutely _hated_ going to book parties, had started hating them since after he met her and fell in love with her. At least that's what he'd told her over and over again. Kate stepped into the living room and was about to put down her bag on the couch when she suddenly quieted due to her instincts telling her something was off. She listened carefully and immediately found what was wrong, she could heard distant sounds of sniffing. Her bag fell to the floor, not caring about anything that could be destroyed by the compact with the floor, and ran up the stairs towards the source of the sound. It wasn't until she was outside her room that she realized she might not want her here. Deciding against the better of her she knocked carefully on her step-daughter's door.

"Alexis?" she called out softly. "Are you okay?"

The sniffing came to an abrupt stop for a second before it started again and Kate heard a small 'come in' which had her hand immediately pushing down the door handle. With the door opening she saw the girl curled up in a ball on her bed, her back towards her. Carefully Kate walked into the girl's room, not sure how far or close she was allowed.

"What's wrong?"

The young woman turned her head a little while wiping under her eyes.

"It's ridiculous," she breaths, not louder than a whisper and Kate shakes her head at that.

"If it upsets you it's not ridiculous, but I understand if you don't want to tell _me_ ," the last thing she only mumbled, not sure she wanted her to hear it.

"No, Kate it's not..." Alexis sighed and sat up to pat the place beside her on the bed.

Kate sat down, unsure of what was happening, if she would actually want to discuss... whatever it was, with her.

"It's just..." Alexis started but when she was unable to find the words Kate shook her head.

"You know, you don't have to tell me Alexis, I get it if you'd rather discuss it with your gram or your dad," she said, carefully placing a hand on the young woman's knee. "I'm here for you but you shouldn't feel forced to tell me something you don't want to."

Now it was Alexis' turn to shake her head. That's not what was the problem, at all. She was just having trouble confessing the feelings even to herself, because they were not what she wanted to feel.

"Do you ever miss your mom?" Alexis asked and Kate was taken back by her question.

She wrinkled her forehead, looking at the young woman and answered with a 'yes, of course I do'.

"I know it's different, but... I miss mine too."

Her confession had Kate confused, because Meredith was indeed alive and well, not gone for good like hers was. Besides...

"Don't you have plans with her this weekend?" she asked and the question brought teeth sinking into the younger woman's lips.

"We had, she just canceled," she mumbled, her eyes going down and Kate finally understood the frustration displaying in her step-daughter's eyes.

"Oh, Alexis," she exhaled, putting an arm around her shoulders to draw her into a sided hug. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault Kate, to be honest I'm not even surprised. That's why it's ridiculous," Alexis said and Kate shook her head.

"No, it's not ridiculous. It hurts, I understand more than you think. A love to one's parent is so strong that it can physically hurt when they're taken away from you," she said, to her surprise Alexis' head crept it's way into the crook of her neck, nestling closer to her.

"I just wish she wouldn't cancel every time we're actually doing something _I_ want. Whenever she comes over she just takes me shopping, sometimes she even pulls me away to Paris or some other big fashion city, and when I suggest we could go to a museum or learn about the statues history she comes up with an excuse as to why she needs to go to the shopping centre instead, or just cancel all along saying she forgot an appointment she had or something."

Kate can hear her step-daughter is surprised with herself for letting it all spill, but she's also so very grateful she's finally opening up about these feelings she supposed she'd held inside her for years. Because yes, Kate knew all about Meredith's excuses, even had to deliver one or two herself when the redhead been too much of a coward to call her own daughter. She'd also heard all of the things she'd canceled when the young woman had been no more than a small girl, her husband telling her all about how much it'd pained young Alexis whenever her mother only took her doing stuff she'd enjoy herself, not even bothering asking her daughter what she wanted.

"I just wish she could see me for _me_ , and not just assume I would _love_ to go shopping. I wish she would take her time to actually get to know me, I wish she'd been here for me when I was a kid," Alexis released all her frustration, her head feeling heavy on Kate's shoulder.

"She loves you Alexis, deep down she truly does. She just... doesn't know how to show it," Kate tried to comfort the girl.

"I know," she sighed, "tell me about your mom."

Kate pulled away enough to try and look at her face.

"What?" she asked and Alexis met her eyes with a shrug of her shoulders.

"You never talk about her, well... technically we never really talk, but I'm curious, what was she like?" she asked, a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks.

Kate searched in her step-daughter's eyes, searching for anything indicating she was just saying that without meaning it. But all she found was pure curiosity, so she took a breath and opened her mouth. Started by telling her how much she missed her, then continued with stories about her past with the woman she'd called her best friend up until the day they were separated. As they sat there, talking, Kate found herself and Alexis sliding down into a laying position in which Alexis was tucked into Kate's side, her head on her shoulder. Almost as if _they_ were mother and daughter. Kate felt Alexis' breath slow down and decided there was one more thing she needed said before the redhead drifted off to sleep.

"You know, Alexis, if you want to go to a museum, or anything like that, I can go with you. I promise I'll enjoy every second of it, and you wanna know why?" her step-daughter only hummed, "because I'll be spending every minute with my one and only step-daughter, who I love so much."

She felt Alexis' arms tighten around her in a hug, and she could swear she heard a 'thank you, love you too Kate' before the young woman was slumbering into the land of dreams. Kate kissed the top of the redhead's hair, and didn't move until she heard a sound from downstairs.

"I'm home!"

He wasn't exactly _shouting_ , but it was loud enough for Kate to hear it. As she tried to figure out how to get out of the young woman's grip without waking her, she heard footsteps coming up towards the bedroom. She started carefully untangling the arms when the door gently slid open.

"Kate?" his voice sounded shocked at which she immediately looked up only to lock eyes with him, and she hushed in order to make him aware of his daughter's sleeping form.

His eyes went to his daughter and she was thankful when he quickly strode to her rescue, helping her untangle herself from the young woman. Once she was free, Castle tucked his daughter in her covers and kissed her forehead before the two of them left the room as quiet as they could. It wasn't until the door was firmly closed and they tip toed down the corridor to the stairs that Kate heard her husband open his mouth again.

"What happened?" he whispered in worry, and she understood why he'd be worried because this had never happened before.

Kate bit her lip, not really knowing if she should reveal Alexis' problems with her birth mother.

"She just needed some girl talk, I'm just glad she trusts me enough to let me in the way she did," she told him, deciding she would keep her step-daughter's struggles just in case she wanted them secret from her father.

"Girl talk? What about?" he asked and she sensed his overprotection coming on.

Sighing she turned around to put her hands on his chest to stop them in the middle of the living room.

"Don't worry about it Castle, I... I don't want to tell you in case she wants to bring it up herself. I want her to be able to trust me with things, I..." she half-laughed, "I'm just so grateful she let me in. You have no idea how much this means to me, for her to open up to me, she's never done this before. Not like this."

When she stopped talking and her eyes got stuck in his she saw he had a ghost of a smile on his lips along with pride in his eyes. She knew he was still curious, of course it was, curiosity was his second nature! But she could also see he was more in awe of the fact that his daughter had shared things with her, than in need of interrogating her until he gets answers.

"Okay." Was all he said before he leant down and caressed her lips with his in a gentle kiss. "I won't ask. Just promise you'd tell me if it was something serious," he said and she immediately nodded.

"Of course, I promise!" she agreed and he kissed her again just as gentle.

"Good, I need to take a shower before we head for bed, care to join me?" he asked and she grinned, feeling like a teenager at the way his question made her whole stomach fill with butterflies.

"What are we waiting for?" she challenged with a twitch of her eyebrow.

He growled low, too low for anyone but her to hear it, and put his hands around her thighs to boost her up into his body. She immediately secured her legs around his hips, locking them at his back, and giggled in his ear as he carried her in the direction of their bathroom. She squeaked when he went into the shower and turned it on without caring about their clothes still being on.

"Castle!" she gasped but didn't get to scold him any more before he took her gasp as leverage to stick his tongue inside the hot cavern of her mouth, making her gasp turn into a moan.

Their tongues met and even though her clothes were getting more soaked for each second passing by she couldn't care less as long as his tongue kept stroking hers, _oh_ , so satisfyingly. It wasn't until he pressed her back into the tiles on the wall that she got out of her trans and let her legs slide down his body to reach the floor. She grabbed the hems of his shirt and pulled it up, it was a bit of a challenge due to it almost being _glued_ to his body. The second she'd gotten it off of him, their lips returning in a matter of seconds, he grabbed the shirt from her hands to throw it on the floor beside them before he grabbed her wrists and pinned her hands on each side of her head. His fingers released her wrists but didn't leave her hands, his fingers gliding up to interlock with hers. Their kiss was hot, but it slowed down to a pace in which he made it perfectly clear for her that he was proud of her. It was the was they had kissed after tough cases, after she had arrested her mother's killer, after he had gotten rid of his childhood demon, and so many more times. That's when she knew this would be a long night of them just making love to one another in the most intimate and perfect way they knew how, and she looked forward to every second of it.

* * *

Alexis awoke the next morning wondering how and when she'd fallen asleep. Did Kate really say that she loved her? That she wouldn't mind the two of them doing whatever Alexis wanted them to? Did she, Alexis, really fall asleep in the arms of her... Kate? Alexis shook her head, feeling both unsure and so filled with love she didn't know what to do. The detective seemed more interested in her than her own mother did, and if she was honest with herself she was more than happy that she was. Kate wasn't like Gina or the other women her father had been with. Sure, Gina had at least tried getting closer to her but... not in the emotional way. Not the way Kate had last night.

Getting up from the bed Alexis changed into a couple of jeans and a blue shirt she really liked. She continued to think back to all the stories Kate had told her about the times when her mother had been alive. It was refreshing, of course she got a little jealous of her, but at the same time she finally understood how beautiful a mother-daughter relationship could be. Couldn't stop wondering how Kate would be when her and her father decided to have children of their own. She had a feeling Kate would be an amazing mother, especially if she would be half as wonderful as she had been the night before. Coming down to the kitchen she found the woman of her thoughts eating a small breakfast.

"Hey Kate," she greeted with a smile and the brunette looked up from her bowl of cereal to mirror her smile.

"Alexis! Good morning, your father is still asleep, figured I'd let him sleep because of how late he got home last night," Kate said, leaving out how it had been kind of his fault he'd gotten to sleep that late.

Kate hadn't expected the redhead to be awake so soon as nine a Saturday but couldn't exactly blame the girl, she had probably planned getting up early due to the day she'd had planned out with her mother. As the girl went to the fridge to make some breakfast of her own Kate looked down at her phone and continued eating.

"Thank you," the brunette looked up at the redhead again with a small surprise in her eyes, "for last night."

"Always," Kate promised.

It might be her and her husband's word, promise, but considering Alexis was as much family as he was now she didn't hesitate on using it with her too. After another few minutes of silence, as Kate had eaten her cereal and Alexis had begun eating it didn't take long before the young woman was once again voicing her thoughts.

"Did you really mean what you said?" she took a quick breath. "I mean, would you want to join me explore that new exhibition at the museum of natural history? You don't have to of course!" she quickly added and Kate couldn't stop the growing smile.

"I would love to! I haven't been there in _ages_ , it's about time I have a reason to go there," she answered with childlike excitement Alexis had never seen in her.

"Really?" Alexis questioned with small hope in her voice and Kate gave her one of her looks, the look she had seen her dad getting every once in a while.

"Of course, Lex, I'd be happy to," Kate said and Alexis couldn't help but feel warmth spread through her whole body. "I'll just go inform your dad, let's go as soon as you've eaten your breakfast. The faster we get there the longer we can actually stay there," she said, winking, before she removed herself from the kitchen to walk towards her bedroom.

Alexis was surprised, _happily_ surprised. She felt so much better than she had after her mother had canceled on her the night before. Her heart was swelling with a warmth she could dare say she'd never felt before, not even when she was with her dad and doing whatever amazing thing they had agreed on. And so she wondered, was this what a mother's love felt like?

* * *

 _THE END_


	26. Chapter 26 - Confrontation

_Prompt: S4. Castle and Beckett starts fighting and she suddenly confesses she loves him. She gets embarrassed and ignores him._

* * *

A hard knock to his loft door disturbed the peace inside, and it took long enough for her heart to get caught up in her throat before he finally opened.

"Beckett? What are you doing here?" he questioned and she so wished she knew the answer to that.

Well, technically she _did_ know, but there was also no way in hell she'd tell him.

"Nothing, just making sure my partner hasn't gotten himself killed today," she snapped, not meaning to let her irritation show but of course it slipped anyway. _Urgh_.

He'd spent the whole day with detective Slaughter, a detective who was known for putting his partners in danger and not caring about what kind of hell they got into to get information. Ever since he told her about his plans she had thought about cuffing him to his chair, making sure he wouldn't go through with it.

"I can take care of myself."

His statement had her veins boiling with anger.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" she questioned aloud, his nostrils suddenly flaring with the same fury.

"With _me_? What the hell is wrong with _you_?!" he shot back. "What do you care if I shadow another detective? Aren't you happy to get rid of me for a day or two? This is probably the best day since before I started shadowing you!"

" _I_ don't care? Thanks a hell of a lot for your confidence Castle. Here I've been all day scared for your life and you can't even text me back with a simple 'I'm ok'! No! I had to walk all the way over here just to get a sign of life and you think I don't care?! Asshole!"

She didn't know what had flown in her. She was just so _hurt_! Three hours earlier she'd sent away a message asking him if was okay, wrote she wanted to make sure Slaughter hadn't gone on too harsh, and she hadn't gotten a single syllable back! Castle's eyes were wide, eyes dark and sparkling with a fury she had never witnessed during the four years they'd known each other.

"Me an asshole? Then what are you? The devil herself?! You think you are so clever and kind Beckett but the truth is you're the cruelest woman I've ever met! What you've done is so much worse than me ignoring a simple text message."

His words hurt. How could he be so ignorant?! How did everything go so wrong?! Hadn't they come to an agreement at those swings all those months ago?

"Besides, why would you even care if I was dead or alive. You should go, Beckett, we're over."

His voice was calm, as if he did not just say the words that was the death of her. As if he did not just kill her through the words that had once filled her with nothing but love. He turned around to walk away from her, didn't see the reaction displaying on her face. The tears that started falling down her cheeks as if he'd just turned on a sink.

"Why wou... _because I fucking love you Castle_ ," the words slipped before she could stop them.

Her voice showed everything. The hurt, the tears, the dejection. And the way his body stilled, his back muscles tensed, she knew he had most definitely heard her. When he turned around his eyes were wide, but this time it was not caused by anger, his mouth was open in a small 'o' showing just how shocked he was. Kate bit her lower lip in order to keep in the sob threatening to spill.

"What?" his voice was not more than a whisper and she looked away, wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Just forget it. You've made pretty clear you don't want me anymore," she said turning around in order to get out of there, she didn't need him to see her break apart more than he already had.

Before she could get two steps away from his door she felt his fingers spread around her bicep in order to stop her. She tried yanking her arm away from him, and it worked! But the second his fingers left her bicep his other arm had sneaked around her waist to pull her back to him.

"I think we need to talk," his voice was gentle, a soft whisper, in her ear and she just wanted him to leave her alone so she could cry.

"Let me go Castle," her voice was not more than sobs leaving her lips now.

"No." his voice was strong, stubborn, and he carefully pulled her back into his loft.

Taking precautions, probably worried she'd run away, he closed his loft door and locked it before he even started to release his grip around her waist.

"Talk to me," he demanded but she didn't want to.

There was no point. He didn't want her, had shown it by very clearly drawing back and shadowing another detective. She was nothing more than research, that was it, nothing more, nothing less. He was done with her, and she had to move on from him. So, she stayed quiet. Well, except for the sniffing and few sobs that escaped her mouth. No matter how hard she tried she couldn't stop them, her heart was breaking and, _fuck_ , it felt much worse than it had when her mother was killed. How had she allowed him that power? How could she let him get that hard of a grip on her heart? But then again, how could she not? He'd been the only one standing by her side at all times. The only one dumb and stubborn enough to pull her out of a burning building. The only one stupid and brave enough to try and take a bullet for her. The only one she'd ever loved so deeply that it tore her apart thinking something had happened to him when he hadn't answer her text. She wasn't listening to what he was saying, she heard him but she didn't listen. She was done.

Castle noticed he wasn't coming through to her. He _hated_ himself for the pain he could see he had caused her. The pain was written all over the tears that constantly left her hazel green eyes. Those eyes he could normally drown in without a second thought. He tried getting her attention, over and over again, but nothing seemed to work. Her eyes were... dead. She was looking straight forward yet he knew she didn't see anything. She probably heard him too but wasn't paying attention to what he was saying, how he pleaded she'd say something, _anything_. There was only one thing he could think of that could bring her back, but it was a hell of a risk. Then again, it was a risk he was willing to take if there was even the slightest chance it would bring her back to him. Because there was nothing more he wanted than for her to understand he loved her more than anything, that he _did_ love her too no matter how his actions might've stated otherwise.

Kate felt a warmth on her cheeks before there was a warmth spreading through her lips, down to her body. It took ten seconds before she realized what was happening and it only took another second before her lips moved with his. _He was kissing her_. She felt his lips carefully caressing hers as his fingers carefully moved into her hair, tilting her head a little to be able to have better access to her lips. He was kissing her slow, his lips leaving and reconnecting with hers as if they'd done this for years. Her fingers twitched before she moved them to his chest, pushing him away with all the strength she could muster in her new weakened state.

"What are you doing?" she breathed out, confused because... he didn't want her.

 _Why was he kissing her like that if he didn't want her?_ She couldn't stand this. She couldn't survive this.

"I love you Kate, _I love you too_ ," he emphasized his repeated words to get it to sink in.

She was still unsure of what was happening, her head kept spinning at the sensation his kiss had resulted in. How was he able to make her so _weak_?

"No, you don't," she argued but once her hazel green met his blues she knew he was telling the truth.

"Yes, I do. I've been falling in love with you every single day since the beginning of our partnership, back when you still hated me," he told her his deepest secret, hoping that would make her see.

The words sunk into her mind, and even though she knew they were true, could both hear and see it, she was so confused.

"But... you've been avoiding me, pulling away, shadowing another detective," he cut her off with a peck to her lips.

A peck which had her following him in order to catch his lips in a kiss. Not a move she planned, it was her body taking over, because she had, for _so long_ , wished to be kissed by those exact lips. This time it was his turn to push her away, because yes, he had been avoiding her, but no, it wasn't for the reason she thought.

"I heard you, in interrogation," he begun, "you told that suspect how you remembered every second of your shooting. I thought you lied to me because you didn't feel the same way. I thought you insisted on not telling me you heard me confessing my love for you because you were not interested at all and didn't know how to let me down."

Kate listened, she actually _listened_ for once. She took in every word, and she _finally_ understood! He wasn't the asshole, she was! She'd thought he understood that day on the swings, thought she was clear that she wanted a relationship _with him_ but that she needed time.

"I know that now, but I thought I might've misunderstood you," he said and she realized she'd given voice to her thoughts.

"So... you love me?" she asked, not wanting to feel hopeful but her heart was already pumping fast with warmth and excitement.

"Yes. I love you, Kate Beckett, more than you'll ever understand."

She couldn't stop herself from jumping into him again, arms wrapped around his neck, crashing her lips on his because _god she loved him too_. He almost stumbled, almost, but his lips moved with a determination she hadn't felt or seen in him before. His arms went around to her back, pulling her body closer to his. She wasn't able to keep her mouth from turning up in a bright smile, feeling her insides flip at the realization that she was kissing him, _she was kissing Castle_! Their lips were pushed apart thanks to her smile, which she found was mirrored by him.

"You have no idea how many times I've been close to kissing you, to just grab you and kiss you," he whispered and she giggled, not knowing what had gotten in to her.

"Then shut up and kiss me now," she challenged.

A dark lust came over his eyes and she gasped when he suddenly reached down below her thighs to pick her up before he slammed his mouth back to hers. He was kissing her with a hungry force she could've never anticipated, a hunger that she herself felt rising in her abdomen. She felt him moving and it wasn't until her back melted into a mattress that she realized he'd carried her into his bedroom. His body pushed hers into the bed and she groaned at the feeling of his rising erection against her core. _Why did they still have their clothes on?_ She moved her hands to his shirt but before she could get a grip on the hem his hands grabbed her wrists and pinned her hands over her head, growling against her lips. His hips started grinding into hers and she moaned louder than she could ever remember she had before. Actually she couldn't remember a time when she had moaned and screamed a lover's name the way she did that night, couldn't ever remember feeling so sated and giddy as she did after their first, second and third round. Kate Beckett fell asleep with her head on Richard Castle's chest, feeling calmer and more free than she had done in all her life.

* * *

Stretching her arms over her head and her legs to get as tall as she could, Kate felt every muscle strain against her movement, completely sore after the beautiful night she'd experienced. Her grin quickly faded when she turned her head to the man whose bed she was in, the man who wasn't there.

"Oh no," she grumbled when she reached over to feel the sheets were cold on his side.

He was gone, and here she thought... she was wrong. He had only used her for research, used her for information to his books. And now, when he'd managed to get into her pants, he would never come back. He probably expected her to leave, pick up her clothes and leave the loft, to never come back. How had she been so stupid? Not only had she let him steer her by letting her walls around her heart go down but she had also told him everything about it. Pouring her heart out and letting him stomp on it as if it was nothing. Her eyes watered, nothing she could do to stop the tears from spilling. _What had she done?_ Biting her lower lip she decided she couldn't stay there, she needed to get out of there. Now!

Kate removed the cover in a quick move, located the clothes he'd thrown beside the bed and was out of the loft not later than five minutes later, running to the elevator to get out of there as fast as possible. There was no way she would stay to see his ignorant face, she could already picture it. If he'd found her still there when he got back from wherever he'd went. He was probably just out somewhere and walking around hoping she would get the message and leave before he returned. God, how stupid she'd been! He loved her? Of course not. Why would she? She was broken. There was nothing attractive enough about her. They lived in different worlds. _Why_ did she think a _famous writer_ could be anywhere _near_ interested in _her_ , a simple _homicide detective?_ Her tears kept streaming down her face as she walked all the way to her apartment, not feeling the slightest at home at all. Everything she'd wanted had been ripped away from her, she'd thought she'd had it in her grasp only hours ago. She had felt at _home_ for the first time since she was a kid. Reaching her apartment she broke down once she was inside, sliding down the door to the floor, curling into a ball because she couldn't anymore. She couldn't pretend not to care anymore. She was done. He had, for real, left her in his bed. She thought they'd been making love, but for him it was all just sex. Just another conquest he could check off his bucket list.

The seconds went by. Seconds turned to minutes. Minutes turned into hours. Her whole body jerked against the floor when a knock vibrated the door still connected to her back. Her tears had stopped falling hours ago, her eyes too dry to form another tear. The apartment was dark, apparently the sun had gone down without her noticing, the moon seeming to be the only light seeping into the building she called home. She didn't feel like answering, knowing she should, especially if it was her best friend or one of her brothers in arm, but she couldn't. She was too broken, and if they wanted something they could come back tomorrow. Or the day after that. Another knock vibrated through the apartment, a bit harsher and more desperate this time. She ignored it. They would call if it was important. It wasn't until the third knock the person behind the door decided to make themselves heard.

"Kate?! Are you in there?! Please open the door! _Please_!" his begging voice had her eyes watering again.

 _And here she thought she was out of tears!_ Guess she was wrong. _Again_ , taunted a voice in the back of her head. She tried telling herself he was not there, that it was an evil trick her mind played on her in order to hurt her more.

"Please open up! Let me explain! Kate? _Please_!"

His begging continued, and if his pleas were any indication she knew he wouldn't leave until she let him in.

"Go away," she tried, her voice not louder than a mumble, not strong enough to show any confidence.

He probably didn't even hear her, and upon hearing a key in her lock she felt a shock of fright fill her body at the realization he had a key. She'd given it to him after her apartment had blown up, making sure he understood it would only, and _only_ , be used in emergencies. He pushed the door open, but coming to an abrupt stop when he felt how heavy it was, and she heard him grunt in confusion. She didn't look at him, kept her eyes ahead on the floor, but she could practically feel him stick in his head in the small crack he'd gotten open in order to investigate what made the door so heavy.

"Kate?!" he gasped and she could hear fear and confusion in his voice.

 _Why_ would he be scared? _What_ did he even care if her broken heart had made her crash onto the floor? _Why was he even there?!_ She didn't move and she didn't answer either, which she suddenly felt was the same as building up his worry even more.

"What happened? Are you okay? Can you move? Are you conscious?" his questioned just kept flying her way but she didn't answer, couldn't find enough strength.

She felt the door push against her back again, moving her body a little further inside her apartment and before she knew it, it was pushed back and clicked shut. Castle was down on his knees in front of her and she felt the back of his hand land on her forehead, probably to check to see if she was having a fever or something and _why the hell would he care?!_ She didn't understand! And why did her eyes decide now was a good time to release yet another wave of tears? She whimpered and sobbed as he continued to ask questions she didn't answer.

"Kate, I _swear_ _to god_ that if you don't talk soon I _will_ take you to the hospital whether you like it or not."

That got her to look up at him, hazel green eyes meeting his deep, blue, worried eyes.

"No," that was all that came out of her mouth and she saw his worry dampen with relief, but it still wouldn't leave completely.

"Please, talk to me, I thought we were making progress last night," his words had her head pounding with frustration.

"You left."

The hurt was so painfully visible in her scratchy voice that she just wanted to disappeared. What had happened to the independent strong woman she'd been before she met him? How could _one_ man, a _nine-year-old on a sugar rush_ , make her feel this way? Why had she let herself fall in love with him? Why!

"Oh," his eyes were suddenly full of realization, as if he hadn't noticed he left that morning and if she'd been strong enough she'd snort, but she wasn't. "I take it you didn't see the note..."

 _What note?!_ Her mind was screaming at her. _There'd been a note?! Where?!_

"...I should've put it on my pillow," his voice sounded like he was cursing at himself, "Kate, I didn't leave you because I wanted to! I left because Slaughter called and practically forced me to. I know, I know, he wasn't there and therefore couldn't physically force me, but he said I'd regret it if I didn't come!"

His hand itched closer to her cheek, probably intending to touch her, but before he could he stopped his movement to draw his hand back.

"I didn't want to wake you up, especially not knowing you would draw me back in and stop me from going, so I took my clothes and went to dress in the living room, which led me to scribbling a note and putting it on the counter in the kitchen, thinking you'd go there to find breakfast. Guess I thought wrong," he mumbled the last part, head hanging in regret and immediately that was all she could feel. Regret.

He hadn't left her, well, he had but not without a note with the reason _why_. She had yet again jumped to conclusions, just like he had with her interrogation. What the hell was wrong with them? Why couldn't they communicate like normal people?

"When I got home an hour ago and you weren't there, I just figured you'd gone to the precinct. Showing up there with coffees both Espo and Ryan said they thought you were with me, looking into a lead or something. That's when I understood something must be wrong and I went here as fast as I could."

She let out a sigh before whispering 'I'm sorry'. He shook his head immediately and gently cupped her cheek, finally feeling safe enough to touch her again.

"It's not your fault. I thought you knew how much I worship you, how much I love you, but I guess I haven't exactly shown it enough, yet."

She might be weak, and this time not because of the emotional drama she'd felt, but because of the lack of food, but a small smirk got on her lips.

"I can't wait," she whispered, both sincere and teasing.

Or, as teasing as she could considering her voice was still drained by the tears she'd lost during the day. His lips turned up and he leaned down to put his lips onto hers in a small caress before his arms snaked around her body. She let go of a yelp when he suddenly lift her up and carried her bridal style to her couch. As soon as she was set down he kissed her forehead lovingly.

"I'm going to go call for dinner and then we can snuggle on the couch to a movie of your choice," he suggested and she nodded.

She definitely liked the sound of that. They had a lot to talk about, and she knew it wouldn't be easy, but this was a start. And she couldn't wait to see where it would lead.

* * *

 _THE END_


	27. Chapter 27 - Writerboy

_Prompt: Temporary tattoos. Beckett waked up with a hungover and a tattoo, freaks out but Castle assure her he was in his right mind to make sure it's not real._

* * *

Kate woke with a pounding headache. She raised her right hand to her forehead, gently holding it there while trying to remember what the hell had happened the night before. As she moved her right hand to wipe it down her face, in order to wake up, she felt something pull a bit and she immediately opened her eyes to check it out. Before her eyes settled on her arm they confirmed she was in her own bed, having feared she was somewhere else she let go of a relieved breath before she finally looked at her arm.

"Oh my god!" she yelped out in shock as she stared down at the black ink etched into her arm.

Right there, _on her arm_ , was a tattoo with the words ' _Castle = MY writerboy_ '. She carefully raised her left hand in order to let her fingers feel her inked skin. _What the hell had she done?!_

"Kate? You ok?" the man she least expected, and least wanted to see her right now, walked in through her bedroom door and she felt her eyes widen as she quickly covered her arm with her bed cover.

"What are you doing here?" the words flew from her mouth in a panicking speed and she knew he could hear it.

He seemed to sigh and when he rolled her eyes she was definitely starting to get scared. What had she done that could make him, _him_ , roll his eyes at her?

"Making sure you're not doing anything more stupid," he mumbled and she suddenly feared what she didn't remember.

"What did I do?" she whispered in horror, not able to stop the words from escaping her mouth.

His eyes met hers and he cleared his throat.

"I'm guessing you've seen the tattoo," he said and when she widened her eyes in shock and horror, _he'd been there?!_ "The way you're hiding your arm suggests you're trying to hide it from me, which is by no use because I was there when you made it."

 _Fuck_. _Did she call him there? Where had she even been? And why did her head have to pound so much?_ She groaned in pain, she needed to take pills so they could start easing her headache soon. Castle was suddenly heading out of the room and before she could gather enough courage to call out and ask where he was going he was back again with a bottle of water and pills in his palm.

"Here, this will get the hangover in check, or... at least it'll make it bearable," he said handing over his findings.

 _Since when does he know where she keeps her pills?_ Kate had a hard time trying to get her head around things. After accepting the pills and the bottle she still tried to remember what had happened. When did she decide it was a good idea to get another tattoo? And _why on earth did she choose those words?!_

"Uh-thanks," she said, remembering she forgot to thank him when she accepted the things he had given her.

"I'll go make some breakfast, you want pancakes?" he asked and she bit her lips.

 _Pancakes._ She nodded carefully, which set him off towards her kitchen, out of her bedroom. Still being quite confused she managed to get up from her bed and change from her pjs to comfy but ordinary clothes. How did she even get into pjs last night? Did he help her? Did he see her?! Why hadn't he mentioned anything? _Did they...?_ Her head hurt worse for each second she tried to remember. She vaguely remembered him undressing her and _fuck_ she's screwed. As she thought about it more and more she came to the conclusion they must've, which also meant she had to deal with it sooner than she thought. And considering she had a tattoo now that would remind her for the rest of her life, getting rid of it would be too expensive, she might as well confess.

Once she was done with dressing she went to her kitchen, stopping in the doorway to watch him. It was warming her the way he seemed to move so comfortable in her apartment. It also terrified her, because she knew this wouldn't be easy or a short term relationship.

"Uh, thank you, for last night," she said and he glanced back at her with a small smile on his lips.

"Always, remember?" he said with a hint of a chuckle.

"Yeah," she bit her lip as to keep her grin down.

The headache was disappearing the longer she thought about the warmth his whole soul gave her.

"It means a lot to me that you stayed, proving you're not the kind of famous, rich playboy I thought you were in the beginning," she confessed honestly and she noticed his posture changed, his eyes looking at her with a small confusion. "Not that I haven't seen you prove the opposite before I just... was still unsure, but the fact that you're still here calms me," she quickly explain. "I just, I don't want this to be just a one time thing, I've thought about this for a while and even though last night isn't how I wanted it to go down I'm not regretting anything."

His whole face suddenly went bright red and his eyes widened in... was that shock and realization?

"Oh my god, Kate no, that's not... we didn... nothing like that happened!" he so shocked it took her a second to actually understand the words he was speaking.

Once she did she felt her face mirror his because _holy fuck this was embarrassing!_

"Wait, you didn't undress me?" she questioned, horrified of what she had technically just confessed to him.

His eyes suddenly got that guilty expression he had sometimes, that expression that told her he'd done something he knew she would dislike him for.

"Well, technically yes, I did undress you, _but_... it was only to help you get into your pjs!" he defended himself, his voice fast and a bit higher pitched than usual, as if he was afraid she would shoot him.

"Oh," she was sure her whole face was as red as a tomato at this point because _oh god_ it couldn't be worse.

"Wait."

His expression changed in less than a second, eyes narrowing in suspicion and she knew he was going over her previous words in his mind. She quickly let go of a high pitched 'forget it' and turned around to retreat back into her bedroom, problem was he had seen the panicking escape her eyes had betrayed her with. There was no more than two steps taken before she felt his arms around her waist to pull her back. For some reason he let her break free from his grasp but it was clear in his body language, when she glanced at him, that he wouldn't hesitate on stopping her again if she tried to get away. His eyes told her strictly that he needed answers to her behavior and the words she'd uttered before.

"You've thought about the two of us...?" his voice was a bit more shaky than she imagined it would be.

She knew she couldn't exactly lie and claim it was the truth, she was already busted. So with a sigh she opened her mouth.

"Of course I have! I like you Castle! I think I might even more than like you."

She was giving up, giving up completely. Tired of the games they'd played for two and a half years now.

"You do?" he asked with a dumbfounded expression taking over his suspicion one.

Kate couldn't stop the groan as she rolled her eyes in frustration.

"Castle, _why_ do you think I would keep you around if I didn't? _Why_ would I take you back after your summer break and agree to be a one writer girl if I didn't like you, huh?"

"B-because you lost the bet?" he said and Kate felt more frustrated than ever before.

"You're..."

She took a deep breath, not exactly feeling capable to calm down, and so she took out her frustration on him by closing the distance they had between them, smashing her lips on his. It wasn't long enough for him to respond, her lips leaving his before his brain could figure out what was going on, and she escaped before she could see the connection in his eyes.

Castle felt dumbstruck, his body frozen in place as he watched the detective retreat into her bedroom, and he tried so hard to understand what had just happened. She _wanted_ them to happen? She _might even more than like_ him? _How?!_ Was this one of her jokes? But if that was the case then she wouldn't have kissed him, right? Before he knew it his feet were working on their own, quickly, and clumsily, making their way towards her bedroom. When he got in there he couldn't see her anywhere, and suddenly he got frightened, _what if she had regretted her action?_

"Kate?" he called out, his voice displaying the horror he felt.

He felt his heart jump at the sight of the brunette peeking out from closet. With determination filling his body he went straight towards her, cupping her face with his hands as he crashed his lips onto hers again.

This time it was Kate's turn to be shocked, but she didn't take as long time as he did. Almost immediately pushing her body closer to his to be able to kiss him back while her fingers clutched onto his hips. Their lips parted for air and Kate felt more breathless than she'd ever become from a kiss before.

"Wow," his statement had her lips up in a grin, she couldn't other than agree.

She looked up at him through her eyelashes, their noses so close they were still touching. She could drown in those blue eyes of his, and she had a feeling he could drown in hers too by the look she was getting from him. Breaking their eye contact she looked down to find the courage she needed to break their intimate position.

"I hate to stop but..." his eyes glimpsed with curiosity, "I really want those pancakes now."

Her statement was followed by her a grumble of her belly and he started to chuckle, bringing her to a joyful laughter.

"Come on then, you're gonna love these," he said and was about to turn around when she stopped him to step on her toes and kiss his lips again.

It was only a quick kiss, but she couldn't stop herself. If she could she would much rather have his lips than breakfast but she knew that she needed to eat, besides he'd already made the pancakes and it would be a shame if it went to waste. He took her hand and twined their fingers and dragged her towards the kitchen. The two of them sat down and ate the pancakes together, sharing knowing glances now and then. They both knew exactly what they wanted, there was no doubt now that they'd crossed the line. Castle couldn't help but wonder how long she'd felt the way she did, because if he was to be honest he'd felt the same about her ever since that first week he shadowed her. Kate could swear she was in a constant blush because every time their eyes met she felt her cheeks go a bit warmer and the grin that spread on her lips felt ridiculous. The second Kate had finished her pancakes she went to the sink to start the dishing, not having a dishwasher had it's downs but she didn't really mind considering she lived alone. She didn't hear him come up behind her until he was already so close that she could feel him.

"You're beautiful," his whisper had her jump because he had put his lips right beside her ear while putting his hands on her hips.

"God, Castle! Don't sneak up on me like that!" she scolded, but the smile on her lips was definitely telling him she was too happy to be angry with him.

"Not even to give you compliments?" he murmured into her ear right before taking her earlobe between his lips to suck it lightly.

Kate gasped at the sensation his ministrations sent down her spine, dropping the plate she held in her hands. Thank god she had held it above the sink or else it would've crashed!

"Castle!" she yelped and turned around to splash water on him.

He jumped away with a screech in a try to avoid the water but it was already too late, his shirt getting soaked by the bunch of water she had managed to scoop up in her hand. She burst out laughing at his hurt look, he pouted with his lower lip hanging out a bit and it only got her to laugh harder.

"That's what you get," she teased and to her surprise he kept up the pout.

So, she turned off the sink and dried her hands before she moved closer to him in a slow and seductive strive.

"Oh come on Castle, you want me to help you out of that shirt? I can hang it up to dry," she suggested raising one of her eyebrows in challenge.

She noticed the hard swallow he made and she felt a tinge of satisfaction in her belly at his reaction. She bit her lip in order to contain her excitement as she let her fingers roam down his chest, opening each button on his shirt.

"I-I-I-uh, wouldn't mind that at all," he stuttered and as soon as the shirt was open and her hands touched his chest she felt as though her skin was turning on fire.

Castle was stunned by the way she was so easily turning him one by the simple touch of her fingers. She helped him out of the shirt completely and he got both surprise and frustrated when her hands left him in order to take the shirt and walk out of the kitchen. He didn't waste any time but followed her to take the shirt from her hands, throw it on one of the chairs nearby and grabbing her by her hips to pull her towards him. She was about to say something but he silenced her by putting his lips on hers, kissing her with passion he hadn't known he had in him.

Kate gasped louder than she thought she would when his lips caught hers. _How can he make her feel this way?!_ His lips were not only making hers tingle but they sent arousal down her whole body in a way she hadn't known was possible. His tongue took advantage of her gasp, which had opened her lips just enough for it to slip past. Their tongues started a battle of dominance of which he lost, but he immediately took control in another way. His hands went to the back of her thighs, boosting her up to put her legs around his hip, and before she knew it he was walking her into her bedroom. It didn't take them long to shred their clothes once the bed was under them, both eager to mend their bodies in ways they hadn't even imagined would actually happen. Castle was the one to stop them before they crossed the line completely, still wanting to make sure this wasn't some mistake she would ignore later on.

"Kate," he panted, and she could see the way he tried to control himself, tried so desperately to stop long enough to say whatever was on his mind. And she respected that, took her lips off his naked shoulder to let him speak. "Are you sure? This is not a one time thing, not for me, I need you to tell me now if this is real."

She couldn't stop the giggle that slipped past her lips, hadn't she already covered this?

"I want this Rick, I want _you_. And not just now, I want you every day, every second, I want _us_."

Her words seemed to get through to him, because his blue eyes were drawn to her hazel greens and she saw the love she knew mirrored in hers. They kissed, lips parting, tongues dancing, and their bodies mended together, finding a rhythm in an instant as if they'd done this for years, as if they were two puzzle-pieces made to fit together. They reached their highs together too, and it was simply perfect. Kate couldn't believe she hadn't confessed her feelings before, even if it had been a slip up she was so happy it happened. Their kisses were sloppy, tired, and as they both caught their breaths his fingers started trailing up and down her arm, the arm with the tattoo. She felt it tingle when his index finger trailed the letters she had printed into her skin, why the hell would she do that?

"Too bad this will fade soon," he said and it took her a full minute before her brain caught up with what he'd said.

"Wai-hold on, _fade_? As in _disappear_?" she questioned with shock evident in her voice.

He looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Eh, yeah?" His face broke up in a mocking smile. "Wait, you thought...? Katherine Beckett, you really think that low of me? Of course I made sure the tattoo you wanted wasn't a real one no matter how convincing you tried to be on how much you wanted another tattoo."

He was laughing now, and she grunted, if it wasn't for how great she felt after their actions she'd hit him. But she couldn't help but feel grateful for everything he seemed to have made sure of the night before. Probably was the one to make sure she didn't drink herself unconscious as well.

"Thanks," she mumbled while nestling her head into the crook of his neck.

"Always," he responded and she wasn't sure he knew what she was thanking him for but she knew they had all the time in the world to talk about what happened.

Right now all she wanted to do was snuggle with the one who she soon was to find out to be the love of her life.

* * *

 _THE END_


	28. Chapter 28 - A different knockout

_Prompt: 3x24. What if Castle got to Beckett before she got shot? Then they left together to his/her loft._

* * *

"Roy Montgomery taught me what it meant to be a cop," Kate Beckett stated as she stood on the podium before her colleagues and the friends and family of her captain. "He taught me that we are bound by our choices, but we are more than our mistakes."

Richard Castle stood on her side, listening to her words. He'd never pegged her for a wordsmith, not since she herself claimed she was none, but the words she'd written for her captain's funeral were perfect. She'd even shown them to him before the event started in case there needed to be changes, then also stating she was no writer even though he told her it was absolutely perfect.

"Captain Montgomery once said to me that for us, there is no victory, there are only battles. And in the end, the best you could hope for, is to find a place to make your stand," her voice was strong, but also so deep with the loss he knew she felt. "And if you're very lucky, you find someone willing to stand with you," Kate threw a small glance towards him, and Castle could see how meaningly she looked at him before she continued.

When she turned around towards the people again, to continue with her speech his eyes followed out there. He thought he saw something glimpsing and at first he though it was nothing, maybe something someone had put on a grave stone to honor the dead, but then it glimpsed again and he quickly put the pieces together.

"Our captain would want us to carry on the fight. And even if there is..." Castle moved as fast as he could.

"Kate!" he yelled out and he heard the loud sound just as he pushed her to the ground.

He felt something sting in his arm but he was too busy covering her body with his to truly notice. That's when all hell broke loose around them. Cops were shouting orders, people were screaming and Castle couldn't stop thinking he was too late. Castle was waiting on that next shot but when he decided there would be none, because if there were it would've been heard already, he put his hands to the ground to move himself off of his partner. Only his left arm gave up on the try and even though he didn't really notice why he saw the blood on her.

"Kate! Where are you shot?" he asked, his words out in a hurry he hadn't heard before.

"Castle? Wha...?" her eyes looked at him widened with shock.

It didn't take long before the shock wore down though, her eyes immediately searching around them.

"Rick!" she suddenly gasped and he furrowed his eyebrows, _why did she use his first name?_ "You're bleeding!" she said and pushed up with her arms on either side of herself only to gasp even louder when she hit the ground again. "Fuck!" she groaned and looked down at her right arm, seeing blood there too.

Before any of them could say more Lanie Parish was all over them, pushing Castle aside and ordering him to sit down. It didn't take long before he understood he'd been shot too, they'd both been shot! Lanie ripped off his arms to his shirt in order to tie them around the wounds, stopping the blood from sipping out. Everything went so fast that none of them could really comprehend what was happening. One moment Castle had pushed Kate down from the podium and in the other they were both in one ambulance each being driven towards the hospital.

* * *

"Can you believe this?! How the hell do you loose a sniper in a cemetery!?" Kate turned her head towards the door where her partners showed up not soon after Esposito's comment.

"The sniper's gone?!" Castle's voice was a bit higher than usual, probably due to the shock and the meds he'd gotten.

The two detectives looked at him before their eyes landed on Kate only to glance between their two arms. They'd gotten a few stitches and the wounds were now bandaged neatly in order to keep the stitches from going up, and to keep the dirt away from the wounds.

"Guys!" Kate raised her voice in her normal bossy tone which snapped them out of their trance.

"Yeah, they lost him," Esposito growled with irritation clear in his voice.

"We got the sniper but looks like the chances of getting any DNA are small," Ryan added disappointedly.

Castle almost looked frightened and Kate wondered why that was.

"Okay, we'll get back to the precinct and start with the investigation," she said and the two detectives shook their heads.

"No, we can handle this, you two should go home and rest. Getting shot requires some rest," Esposito gave them both meaningful looks, with his eyes telling them they would not let them get back to work tonight.

"Urgh, fine! But only because I'm too tired o argue," Kate groaned, wiping her face with her hands.

"Good, then you won't argue when I say we put a detail on both of you," Ryan said with a small victorious grin.

"Uhm, I'm not going home," Castle said with a determination Kate didn't think she'd seen that many times before.

"Yes you are, you're not going to the precinct if that's what you think," Esposito stared at the writer.

"You need to put the detail on Alexis and mother, but until that guy's caught I'm not putting them in danger by going home," Castle stated and Kate got an idea, besides they needed to talk.

"He can come home with me, that way we can keep an eye on our wounds," she suggested and they all agreed.

She tried not to remind herself of the fact that whoever shot them was after _her_ and not him. If she'd think more about it she'd make him stay away from her, to keep him safe in case this whoever would come back for her. But she had full faith she would be able to protect him, and she'd have them both armed just in case.

Esposito and Ryan left after they made the call to the people who'd keep eyes on the Castle family and Kate. A few minutes after they'd gone the doctors cleared the two partners, if they promised to be careful and keep an eye on their wounds. Kate was surprised to find her partner completely silent during the whole taxi ride home to her apartment, he was rarely quiet, and so she wondered if he regretted not going home to his family instead. His family had followed them to the hospital and after a lot of ifs and buts they'd agreed on going home, at that time Castle had told them he would probably not be home until next day because of the case. She'd seen him sending a message to them during the ride as well, she figured he'd sent an update on where he would be and perhaps informing them of the detail that would be put on them. If she knew him right he would probably include that they should be careful and not open the door to anyone. She didn't know if she was right because she hadn't been able to read his message, not that she tried to, but that's just her guess due to what she knew about him. When the taxi stopped outside her apartment Kate reached inside her pocket to get the money for the driver he opened his mouth for the first time.

"I'll pay," Castle said, already handing the driver what the ride cost.

She didn't get to say anything more about it before he'd gotten out of the cab, so she followed him out.

"You didn't have to," Kate said as she joined his steps to the elevator in her building.

"I know, but it's the least I can do since you're letting me stay on the couch," he smiled towards her and she could feel the butterflies rise in her belly.

"Well, I figured it wouldn't hurt to give my partner somewhere to sleep, especially when it's my fault he's in danger in the first place," she only mumbled the last part, not really meaning for him to hear it.

But of course he heard it, heard every word. She knew he did by the look he was giving her once they were in the elevator.

"It's not your fault," he said determined and when she was about to disagree he gave her a look. "It's not. It's the one behind all this. The person behind your mom's murder, Montgomery's death. _That's_ the one we should blame."

Kate bit her lower lip, suddenly recounting what had happened. It had all happened so fast and she still hadn't really processed everything that occurred. She'd stood on the podium, giving the speech she'd almost torn her hair out when writing it the night before, and then she'd shared a look with him. For those few seconds she knew she had to tell him what she felt, knew she couldn't suppress them anymore, but then all hell had broken loose. He'd shouted her name, and not her surname, so she had felt a bit confused as to why and then he'd been all over her. They'd fallen to the ground and the burn in her arm had almost knocked her out along with the impact of the ground to her back. When she'd seen the blood she'd not been worried about herself but about him, what if he'd gotten shot? She had felt terrified for a split second, because if he was shot and she lost him she wouldn't know what to do.

"Kate? Helloooo?"

Kate blinked a couple times as she registered Castle's hands gently squeezing her arms while trying to get contact with her. _How long had he called for her?_

"Hey, you looked like you were a million miles away," he said carefully, apparently scared she'd fade into thought again.

"Yeah, sorry," she half-whispered, offering a small smile before she gestured for them to exit the elevator which had stopped during her thinking.

She let them into her apartment, making sure to lock the door once they were inside.

"How are you feeling?" Castle asked when she turned away from her door.

Kate gave him a look, telling him she was everything but okay. She could see it shocked him that she was so open, but for what she was planning on discussing with him this was nothing. There was a need inside of her and she planned to stop ignoring it.

"I can't believe you dove to take a bullet for me," she said, much more accusingly than she wanted it to be.

Castle's eyes widened slight before he turned around to flee towards her couch.

"Just did what anyone would've done, didn't exactly plan for the bullet to hit us before I knocked you over," he defended with a shrug but she followed him.

"No, _no one_ , not even Espo or Ryan, would do that," Kate pushed, she wanted him to confess what she already knew.

She wanted him to say it first, to make sure she wasn't just imagining things. He had after all been a playboy before they met, and even though she could see and sense his change, she needed to hear him confess it to be able to truly accept it.

"Sure they would! You're like a sister to them!" Castle's head snapped towards her and she scrunched her nose.

"Does that mean you see me like a sister?" she asked, faking a small disgust in her voice.

"What?! No! Of course not!" he exclaimed, as disgusted by the idea as she would've been if she truly had thought that's how he saw her.

"Then why would you dive in front of a _bullet_ for me Rick?" she used his first name in order to get his attention that she honestly wanted his true answer.

She saw his eyes searching hers as hers was searching his. It looked as though something clicked in his, as if he finally understood her intentions, and she hoped to god he did.

"Because of the same reason I keep coming back, Kate. I can't imagine a world without you because I love you," he said and her belly flipped out.

It wasn't just the normal butterflies he had given her, but she was pretty sure the whole zoo had awoken inside her belly because _god had she waited to hear those words_.

"Finally," she breathed out, closed the few steps between them to crash her lips on his, her hands cupping his cheeks.

At first his lips stilled at the shock he probably felt, and to her shock she felt his hands land on her shoulders to push her away from him. She wasn't sure wether to hide and cry or bite her lip and ask why, because she doubted she could hold her voice steady from the way her heart was on the verge of shattering.

"What... Josh?" his voice stammered and she let out of a too relieved sigh.

How could she have forgotten? He didn't know! How could he? She had planned on telling him after the funeral had quieted down!

"I broke up with him," she told him, and when his eyes showed confusion she continued, "he was a great guy and I really did like him, but I realized I don't love him. And if I'm honest I don't think I've ever loved anyone else before either, you're the only one I have these feelings for that I can't... I can't explain them. But I know it's _you_ Castle. I'm falling in love with _you_."

It didn't take a second of silence before his hands moved from her shoulders, careful down her arm, and gripped into her hips to pull her body flush towards him. She gasped but welcomed the sudden feeling of heat spreading through her body. _Jeezus how could his body feel so good so close to hers?_ She let her hands slide from his cheeks to around his neck, closing the distance between their chests as she raised on her toes. When the tip of their noses touched she couldn't stop the radiant smile from taking over her lips.

"Say that again," he said, more of a request than a demand.

"Say what?" she asked with a teasing smirk because of course she knew what he was talking about.

"Oh you know," he tilted his head in order to tease her lips with the presence of his.

She tried kissing him but he kept his lips apart from hers, and a small irritated growl rumbled her throats because _why couldn't he just kiss her already?!_

"I. Love. _You_." she repeated and let go of a satisfied moan when his lips slanted onto hers _finally_.

His tongue so erotically slid across her bottom lip and she immediately opened up for him. The second she could taste him she wondered why the hell she'd denied herself this for so long. She'd known when they kissed those few weeks earlier, undercover, that it would be great but the way their lips moved together now was way more overwhelming than she could've imagined. Her hands wandered to his hair, fingers tangling in the softness. It stung in her arm, her bullet wound, but she didn't care, she didn't want them to stop. Sadly they needed to in order to not suffocate, both pulling away just the few inches needed in order to breath, their foreheads leaning together.

"Wow," she breathed out, because how could she _not_?

She was amazed, never had a kiss feeling like _that_ , and she'd had plenty of kisses before. Castle hummed in agreement, and she felt his hands sneakily travel from her hips to above her bum.

"That was better than any sex I've ever had," he mumbled and by the stiffness suddenly entering his body she figured that was a thought not meant to come out loud.

"Yeah," she chuckled, "but why not make it even better."

She slipped out of his arms in order to grab his hand and carefully pull him with her towards her bedroom. His facial expression told her exactly how shocked he was by her suggestion, not used to her being so... open? Pushy? His eyes widened even more when she let go of his hand to pull her shirt over her head, and they darkened when he saw the black lace bra she had beneath. His hands were on her naked skin in seconds, gentle and electrifying. His lips found hers again and his body walked her backwards to her bed. She was falling, but not fast and not alone, onto the bed with her legs open to welcome his body on top of hers. Her fingers immediately started working on his buttons, stripping him off his shirt in order to let her hands roam his chest. His lips left hers in order to kiss between her breasts and when her body immediately arched at the touch he used the advantage to unclasp her bra. Once the material was out of the way his mouth latched onto her left breast and she gasped at the sensation it sent through her body. She needed his clothes off _now_. Working on his pants went a lot faster than she thought it would, probably because their bodies seemed to move in sync in a way she hadn't experienced before. She let her feet pull down his pants in a practiced move she'd mastered. He groaned when she palmed him through his boxers and he did something with his tongue that made her moan louder than she had anticipated. He let go of her breast and left a trail of wet kisses up her collarbone to get to her lips. The second their lips met she felt his fingers travel down to her pants. Without hesitation she helped him, helped him get the last clothes out of their way so they could finally be one.

"Oh god!" she gasped when he slipped inside her.

He caught her gasp with his mouth and waited for her to adjust to him before he started moving. None of them could keep quiet, moans leaving both their throats as they rocked together. Kate couldn't believe the things he made her feel. The way she kept yearning for more and how her body reacted to every small movement of his, it was unlike anything she'd ever felt before. When his lips traveled to her neck once again she took the opportunity to let her own lips wander to his shoulder, leaving kisses. They were both reaching their high and Castle would've thought it was all a dream if it weren't for the feeling filling his whole body, because there was _no way_ his mind could create that feeling. He felt her teeth carefully sink into his shoulder when she climaxed and he fell right over with her. He changed position in order to kiss her lips, it was a lazy and sloppy kiss but a kiss nonetheless. She moaned and he couldn't stop the smile from taking over his mouth.

"Mhmm, I love you," he chuckled against her lips, couldn't quite believe he was finally allowed to utter those three words he'd held back for so long.

She giggled, _Kate Beckett giggled_ , under him and when he pulled away a bit to look at her he could see the blush that had settled on her cheeks. He got hypnotized by the beauty of her like he had so many times.

"Yeah, I love you too," she whispered before biting her lower lip.

He kissed her one more time before slipping out of her in order to lay down beside her. His eyes were still on her though, never leaving her because he was afraid that she would disappear if he closed them.

"Is this real?"

Kate chuckled, moving closer to him in order to snuggle into his body, and put her hand over his chest.

"Yes. At least I hope so," she answered, kissing his cheek.

Having her body that close, he put his arm around her to pull her even closer. _God he couldn't believe he had her in his grasp_.

* * *

"You have no idea how many times I've dreamed about this," Castle confessed with too much happiness in his voice.

After they'd regained their strengths they had headed for a shower which started with a deal of showering one and one but ended with them helping each other clean off. To Kate's defense she couldn't stand the thought of Castle being in her shower, without her. Castle hadn't seemed to mind though, only smirked when he saw her sneaking inside while saying something like 'couldn't resist could you?'. Kate had simply told him to shut up before she had started kissing him. When they'd finally gotten out of there they had put on their underwear and crawled back into bed because none of them could deny they were too tired after the long, _long_ , day they'd had.

"Which part? Getting me into bed?" Kate questioned sleepy as she snuggled closer to his body.

"This part of course! Never figured it would happen though, didn't think you'd be a cuddler," his arm around her hugged her closer and she couldn't help but giggle.

She let her hair fall over her face in an attempt to hide the big smile forming her lips. _God_ she had so fallen for this man. There had never been anyone who had made her feel as satisfied as he had, both physically and emotionally.

"Don't hide," Castle half complained, letting his fingers brush across her hair in order to get it out of her face.

"Just go to sleep Rick," she rolled her eyes at him but knew he saw right through her, because when had he ever not?

Castle chuckled, his eyes sparkling at the use of his first name, and she closed her eyes. It didn't take more than once second until she felt his lips on her forehead.

"Goodnight Kate."

"Night babe."

* * *

 _THE END_


	29. Chapter 29 - Christmas Carols

_Prompt: Character A doesn't feel the Christmas spirit but character B, who lives above them, keeps playing Christmas carols really loud._

* * *

"Oh for the love of...!" Kate Beckett cursed whoever lived above her because _who the hell plays Christmas carols this loud?!_ "Fuck off."

Kate walked around her apartment, trying, in vain, to find a room in which the carols _wouldn't_ be heard. She was very temped walking up to her neighbor flashing her badge and, preferably, her gun to make the bastard stop the damn music. Whatever made some people so jolly around Christmas anyway? Taking a deep breath she tried to calm herself, they would probably realize the music was too loud any minute now. _Any_ minute now. _Aany minute now_.

"Oh to hell with this!" she yelled out after several minutes of hoping it would work out on its own.

Kate yanked up her door and slammed it behind her loudly as she strode towards the stairs, she didn't have enough patience to wait for the elevator because damn she wanted that jerk to just shut the music flew up the stairs two steps at a time and once she was in the corridor above hers it didn't take long for her to locate the apartment above hers, the music hadn't turned down one bit since she left her second she reached the door she started knocking rapidly on it, trying her best to get the attention of whatever asshole lived in apartment number 447.

"Hey hey hey!" a manly voice said in a rushed voice as the door opened. "No need to break the door in."

 _Oh the manners of this guy_ , if she hadn't sworn to protect the people in this city she would've punched him right in that smug smile he had plastered on his face.

"If you don't turn that godawful music down I swear to god I'm gonna shoot you," she hadn't meant for the threat to actually slip past her lips but her irritation was getting the better of her.

The man in front of her looked oddly familiar but she couldn't place him. _Probably seen him in the building before_ , she figured, _or perhaps she'd arrested him sometime while she had still been a rookie_.

"Well, hello to you too," he said with a sweet smile and she was wondering if he had heard her at all.

"Are you deaf? _"_ she questioned and he chuckled.

 _He actually chuckled._

"No, I'm not, but I answer better when the people I meet say their greetings first," he answered, that smile still plastered on his face.

 _What the hell?_ Kate felt her breathing quicken a bit and tried to calm herself down by taking deep breaths. It was after all illegal to shoot the guy, plus that would mean she'd loose her job big time.

"Hey, we you okay?" he suddenly asked and she gave him a narrowed look.

"Do I look okay?! I live right under you and your music is making me tear my hair out."

She was harsh, her voice stern and determined, she wanted this guy to turn down his goddamn music so she could be in her silent apartment in peace.

"Your hair looks beautiful to me."

Her fingers clenched into fists and she had to keep telling herself she could _not_ hit the guy. She could _not_ kill him for being a lousy neighbor.

"If you don't shut those damn jolly carolsoff I swear to god I will break past and do it myself."

It was the first time his expression showed any sign of non-happiness, there was a small shock in his eyes, as if he hadn't taken her previous threats serious.

"You're serious aren't you?" he asked with his smile completely gone now.

She narrowed her eyes further, giving him the look she had practiced too many times on suspects. His mouth form an 'oh' as he seemed to take in her full expression.

"You don't like Christmas carols?" he asked and she clenched her eyes shut.

"No."

She could feel his eyes observe her and when she opened her eyes again she confirmed her cop senses.

"Why not?" he sure knew how to push her every button.

"Because I don't, and I sure as hell don't have to explain myself to you," she tried her best not to yell, but her voice was a lot louder than she had preferred it to be.

"Okay, okay, come on in, and I will turn down the music."

He opened his door a bit more and made a hand gesture for her to come inside.

"What the hell makes you think I'm just gonna waltz right into your apartment?"

 _What is this guy's problem?! Couldn't he just simply turn the music down so she could go back to her peace and quiet apartment with no Christmas decorations or whatsoever?_

"If you don't come in I won't turn the music down," he was starting to sound like a child and she had to count down from 10 in order to not punch him in the face right there.

"Daddyyyyyy, what's taking so long?!" a small voice called out from the inside and Kate felt her veins freeze to ice.

 _He had a kid?_ Suddenly it all made sense, the loud music, the jolly expression he'd had when he first opened the door. Now she felt kind of bad, she couldn't rob the kid of her Christmas, that was just cruel.

"Who are you?" a small redhead peeked out from behind the guy's legs and looked carefully at Kate.

"No one, I'm sorry I bothered you," Kate said, trying to give a small smile before she turned around to walk away from the man and his daughter.

"Wait! Why don't you come in, we have cookies in the oven and I bet Alexis here would love it if you tried them out," the man said and Kate shook her head while looking back at them.

"No, I'm good, sorry," she said before she went with long steps towards the staircase.

* * *

"Dad?" Alexis asked as Rick Castle closed the door again, the woman having disappeared faster than he could imagine.

He hummer and bent down in order to scoop her up in his arms, giving her his whole attention.

"Why did you invite her? Didn't she just want to shut down our music?" she asked and he should've known she would eavesdrop.

Sneaky little thing, his daughter.

"I don't think she meant it that way, pumpkin. I could see a sadness in her eyes, as if she was hurt by the reminder of Christmas,"he tried to explain and her eyes widened.

"She doesn't like Christmas?" she said shocked.

Rick shrugged his shoulders, he had a feeling he couldn't shake.

"Maybe she can't celebrate Christmas with her family this year," he offered as he carried her towards their cookies.

Alexis got a horrified expression on her small face as she understood the meaning of his words.

"Alone for Christmas? We can't leave her to be alone daddy! Maybe she'd be happier if we invited her!" the little girl suggested and Rick smiled at his daughter's warm heart.

"Yeah, maybe it would, let's get these cookies out of the oven first, how about you go turn down the music a bit, we don't need to remind her more than necessary," he suggested and she agreed, immediately running off to the stereo the second he put her down on the ground.

Rick took out the cookies and wondered how they should do to convince the woman she was more than welcome to celebrate the holiday with them. He knew one thing or two about how important it was to celebrate with people you cared about, his mother always making sure they would have a cozy Christmas no matter how badly their economy had been.

"Can we test the cookies now?" Alexis asked when she came running back.

"They're too hot, we'll burn our tongues, _of course we should try them now_!" he said with too much energy and a childish glow in his eyes.

His daughter laughed at his excitement and they brought out milk to be able to drink if it really got too hot.

"Maybe we could invite her tomorrow," Alexis suggested, her expression telling her father she was in deep thought.

"Christmas is still far away Alexis," Rick reminded her.

"I know _,_ but if she comes to dinner tomorrow she can get to know us and then feel at home once Christmas comes," she sounded so wise beyond her years that Rick wondered, as so many times before, who she got it from _._

"Sounds like a plan," Rick decided then, making a mental note that Alexis should be the one asking.

Maybe the woman would be more willing to say yes to the little girl than to him, especially considering the immediate reaction she'd had to learning he had a daughter.

* * *

Kate was surprised to hear the music was turned down once she got back into her apartment, especially considering his threat about not doing what she wanted unless she joined him inside. What was that all about? Why invite someone you have never met and who also just knocked on your door to complain?These were the kinds of questions that kept circling her mind and even followed her into her dreams because she just couldn't make sense of the morning it was not totally forgotten but she managed to push it away in order to focus on getting herself ready for work. She went through the day focusing on the new case they caught, but to her irritation her captain sent her home when he was heading home himself. Don't get her wrong, she loved everything captain Montgomery had done for her, especially the fact that he hadn't told on her when he busted her snooping through things she shouldn't have beenlooking at, but she didn't exactly enjoy getting babysat by him every time she wanted to dig herself into she got home she thought about ordering food but since she had practically been kicked out of the precinct she wasn't exactly feeling like eating immediately. Sitting down by her coffee table she picked up her bag to take out the file she managed to snatch when her captain wasn't looking, she had no plans on stopping finding the killer just because her shift was jumped when there was a rapid but, small?, knocking on her door. Had Montgomery noticed her grabbing the file despite her discretion? She stood up from the couch and considered hiding the papers, but since they were already all spread out across the table and the knocking kept going she figured it would be for the better to just get busted. Only when she opened the door her eyes widened at the sight in front of her.

"Hiii! Will you come have dinner with us tonight? Dad makes the best pasta with chili sauce!" the small redhead from the day before said excitedly with a big smile on her lips.

Kate started to stunner, not knowing what to say so she just eventually shut up and stared at the girl and man in front of her. _What the hell were they doing here?_

"Ehm, my name's Rick by the way, and this is my daughter Alexis," the man said, probably noticing Kate had no idea what to answer to the strangers standing in front of her.

"Sorry, should introduce me first _,"_ the girl grinned in a 'sorry but I'm too excited'-kind of grin, it was quite adorable actually. "What's your name?" she added with a glimpse in her eyes.

"Beckett," she said automatically before quickly changing to, "Kate. My name's Kate."

"That short for Katherine?" Alexis asked and Kate felt the shock must be shown all over her face, especially when the man, Rick, opened his mouth.

"Pumpkin, let's wait with any question that doesn't involve if she wants to join us for dinner."

"I'm sorry," the small girl said but Kate could see she wasn't _that_ sorry.

Kate took a quiet deep breath to collect herself enough to answer their question.

"I'm sorry but I can't do dinner," she said and she saw the small girl's smile go downwards.

"Can't do dinner tonight? We can do it tomorrow instead if that suits better?" Rick suggested with a smile still on his lips.

"Uhm, no, I mean I can't," she hoped he would understand and give his daughter some real reason because she didn't think she could come up with anything good enough.

"Why not?" Alexis asked with a small pout.

Kate struggled to answer because it didn't look like Rick was going to save her, he was looking at her as if he was as clueless as his daughter. _Why couldn't he take the hint?_

"You don't even know me, I'm sorry about yesterday, I shouldn't have been so rude..." she started but Rick was shaking his head long before she was done.

"No, no, we should've thought about our neighbors, it wasn't cool of us to have our music that loud," he said and his daughter was nodding in agreement. "Come on, just one dinner, neighbors should know each other right?" he added with a gentle smile.

"Yeah, please dinner, please," Alexis asked with what Kate supposed was her sweetest voice she could muster.

Alexis's eyes got bigger as if she was begging her to say yes. Kate had a feeling that was the look she used to give her father when she wanted something, she also had a feeling the girl could get anything with that look. _Urgh._

"Okay, fine, but only dinner, then I need to get back, I have work in the morning," Kate gave in.

Alexis let go of a small shout of joy, jumping up with her fist in the air and Kate couldn't stop the automatic chuckle from escaping past her lips. When she looked at Rick she could see a satisfied glimpse in his eyes and she wondered what the hell made him ask he to join them for dinner anyway.

"You can come up as soon as you're ready, you already know the apartment number so I trust you won't get lost," Rick had a teasing tone within his voice.

"Yeah, right," Kate hummed, and after a 'see you later' from the little girl the two of them walked off towards the staircase.

* * *

Kate wasn't sure if anything so when she stood in front of 447 she wondered what the hell she'd gotten herself into, eating dinner with the family who hadblasted Christmas carols the night before. She took a deep breath before carefully knocking on the door, not at all as harsh and fast as yesterday.

"There you are!" the man, Rick, said the second the door opened and he saw it was her.

He opened up wider and the small red headed girl came running towards them.

"Kate!" she yelled out and once Kate was inside Alexis hugged her leg.

 _What the...?_ Rick just chuckled and walked to what looked like to be their kitchen. Alexis let go of her leg only to grab her hand instead and pull her further inside. Kate just managed to close the door before she was pulled out of reach and she wondered why this little girl was so excited about her.

"Look!" Alexis said holding out a drawing Kate figured she must've made. "This is you, this is dad, and this is me!"

She pointed to each figure as she described who she'd drawn. Kate quickly noticed the girl hadn't drawn her mother, she looked around and focused on what she could hear but couldn't hear anyone else but the girl and her father in their apartment.

"Dinner's ready!" Rick called out and Kate looked towards him.

He was carrying the pasta towards the dinner table where he had set the table for only the three of them. So, _no mrs Rick_. Or at least not here tonight. The three of them sat down at the table and Rick served all of them as. Told them to dig in. It didn't take long before the girl had sauce all over her facebut honestly it came as no surprise the way she immediately stuffed her mouth with the pasta her father had made. Kate sneaked a glance at Rick and met his eyes as he was doing the same, which had her quickly looking down at her food. She took her fork and got some pasta with chili sauce on it to put it in her mouth. The second the food touched her tongue she let go of a surprised moan, _oh he was good_.

"You like it?" he asked and when she swallowed she bit her lower lip.

"Mhmm, it's good," she nodded, taking another bite.

"Told you he makes the greatest pasta with chili sauce!" Alexis said with her mouth full of food.

"Pumpkin, no talking with food in your mouth," Rick said with an amused smile on his lips and Kate chuckled.

"So'y," Alexis said with food still in her mouth and Kate chuckled even louder.

Kate still didn't understand why they had invited her but it was surprisingly a lot more fun than she had imagined. She could see Alexis suddenly chewed a little faster in order to swallow faster so she could open her mouth again.

"Kaate, why don't you like Christmas carols?" she asked and Kate's smile faded slowly.

"She never said she didn't like them Pumpkin, she probably just had a headache yesterday and the music was too loud," Rick offered as a save, giving Kate a look when the girl wasn't looking as if to say she didn't have to answer if she didn't want to.

Kate swallowed the past a she had in her mouth before she opened it anyway.

"They're just not really a good memory for me, I liked them when I was your age though," she offered.

"Why don't you like them anymore? I know my dad is a child but other grown-ups like them, not only kids so it's not something you grow up from?" Alexis reasoned and Kate was amazed by the little girl.

She could've been, what, five years? Six years? And she was already looking deeper into the fact that she didn't enjoy Christmas carols than any other kid she'd ever met had investigated in anything.

"Hey!" her father exclaimed at the note about him being childish and Kate couldn't hide the laugh that escaped her mouth. "I'm _not_ a child!"

"Yes, you are! You bought a life sized R2-D2 _and_ functioning lightsabers!" Alexis immediately came back and that just made Kate's eyes widenand her laugh louder.

Rick tried hushing the girl who had broken out in laughter as well.

"That was a secret!" he groaned and the little girl hid her mouth with her hand as if she was going to tell another secret towards Kate.

"They're right there in the corner of this room, some secret," she half-whispered half-said as she rolled her eyes.

Kate looked towards the corner and saw indeed two lightsabers along with one life sized R2-D2, and started laughing so bad her belly started hurting. _God she hadn't laughed like this in years._

"Yeah yeah, keep laughing at the famous author slash nerd," Rick groaned and put more food in his mouth, sulking.

Kate wrinkled her forehead, _famous author?_ She let it go when Alexis's voice sounded again.

"So, why don't you like them?"

She got a feeling the girl wouldn't give up until she'd gotten the answer so she figured she should just give one that she could live with her knowing.

"Something bad happened to someone close to me around Christmas a few years ago, and the Christmas spirit reminds me of it," she shrugged her shoulders in order to try not make a big deal out of it.

She didn't really want to talk about it more than she had to, so she hoped the girl wouldn't continue asking her about it.

"Oh," the girl said in a saddened tone, "I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay, I'm good now," Kate lied, but she hoped the girl couldn't hear it, hoped the girl would believe her words.

They continued to eat in silence after that, and once the dinner was over she offered to help with the dishes. At first Rick said no, she was the guest, but she insisted and after some friendly argument he let her win. Alexis was close by, drawing, and kept asking Kate questions such as what her favorite song was, her favorite movie, her favorite animal, and so on. Kate found it fascinating how the girl kept asking her if there was a reason to the answer she gave. Take the favorite animal for example, she didn't only satisfy with the answer of it being elephants, she also wanted a reason as to how come elephants were her didn't terrorize her if she didn't have a reason but she still asked if she had one and what it was if she did. It was cute and Kate couldn't help but think the kid would make a beat detective or lawyer one day if she wanted to.

"What do you work with?" Alexis asked and Kate gave the last plate to Rick for drying before she drained the sink of water.

"I'm a cop," she answered and Alexis eyes widened.

"You're a cop! That is so cool!" Rick's sudden outburst had Kate jump a little and Alexis started laughing. "What kind?"

"Uh, homicide detective," she answered and his eyes only widened.

Kate dried her hands as Rick put away the last plate and she inhaled deep before she clasped her hands together in front of her.

"This has been great, thank you both for a wonderful dinner," she started but before she could finish her voice trailed off when she noticed the pouts on both the man and the girl.

"Don't leave yet, Kate, please. Stay for a movie," Alexis practically begged and Kate wondered why the girl looked so desperate.

"No, Pumpkin, we kind of promised she'd be free after the dinner, and she even helped us clean up, she's good to go if she doesn't want to stay," Rick said, even though his eyes were telling her something else.

"But we can watch Moana! Please Kate _please_ ," the redhead asked and Kate thought about it.

Maybe the girl would fall asleep during the movie, or she could leave as soon as the girl was too into the movie to stop her from leaving. With a small sigh Kate agreed, told them she would probably not stay for the whole movie but that she could stay a little while longer. To her surprise the small girl snuggled close to her when they sat down in the couch, putting her small arm around her as in to keep her close. Kate looked questioningly at Rick who just looked as surprised as her, even though he was better at hiding it. The movie began and Kate tried to relax in the couch, tried not to think too much about the little girl clinging to her and what laid behind that behavior. _Where was her mother? Why did she invite her to dinner?_ It didn't take more than twenty minutes into the movie before Kate gave in and laid her own arm around the little girl, hugging her small body in a comfortable way, a way _her_ mother used to hold her when she was small and _they_ watched a movie. After that she slowly noticed how the girl's breathing started changing, from light awake to deep slumber.

"Give her five more minutes and we'll be able to move her without her waking up," Rick whispered and Kate looked at him, seeing he was watching his daughter with a loving expression.

Kate breathed out an 'okay', not sure how loud she could whisper without waking the girl. They waited the said minutes before Rick helped her bend out of the girl's grip and took her into his arms. He told her to wait there, that he would just get his daughter to bed and be right back. Kate decided to stay on the couch while she waited, didn't see the point of standing in case it would take longer than he thought.

"And she's sound asleep, thank you for staying, she hasn't had any female role models in a while," he said as he walked down the stairs that had led to another level.

Kate hadn't really noticed it earlier, but now she saw it clear and wondered how big this apa... _loft_ really was.

"Where's her mother?" Kate asked carefully, knowing it was none of her business but not being able to keep down her curiosity _._

Rick scratched his neck and made a face, "She uhm, cheated on me and in the divorce it was obvious she wasn't that interested of being a mom, I got full custody over Alexis and ever since she only visits when it suits her, not matter how long it takes between."

Kate felt awful, a knot clenching in her stomach as she finally understood the girl's clinging earlier. "How long ago?"

He shrugged, "Four years ago, Alexis was two."

She cursed under her breath, putting her hand over her mouth as if to stop it even though it was already too late. He gave her a faded smile before he gave her a careful look.

"What about you? What made you hate Christmas?" he asked and she guessed she should've known he was going to be bold and ask after her own bold question.

She looked down, pursing her lips at the thought of him knowing. There was no one she'd told who hadn't been involved in her work somehow, as someone related to the victim or a 'd found it quite useful telling people who doubted the police department could find the killer, by presenting how she knew their pain and assuring them she'd do everything in her power to find whoever had taken their loved one away from them.

"I don't _hate_ Christmas," she said, trying to slither away from the question, but by the look he gave her he was still waiting on an answer. She sighed, "I know I'm not being fair, but... I can't, it's... it's too painful."

She didn't dare meet his eyes, because what he'd just told her was just as painful in another way. He had shared something deeply personal and she was so unfair for not returning the favor.

"Ah, well, if you ever need to talk I'm just a staircase away," he offered and she met his eyes with surprise all over her face.

"Why are you so nice to me?" she couldn't help asking with a much more vulnerable voice than she was expecting. "I mean, I came here yelling at you, cursing at you, and you invite me to dinner? Why?"

She felt her eyes water up, _damn, how did she get so softened?_ Maybe it was the girl's fault, she'd made her soft with all her kindness and the way she'd clung to her. Being the detective she was she noticed he was biting the inside of his cheeks, and she wondered if she would get an answer to his kindness or not.

"Honestly we thought that maybe you were angered by the Christmas carols in case you wouldn't be able to celebrate the holiday with your family, and we wanted to say sorry for reminding you," he said and she had to bite her lip in order not to let her eyes tear up any more than they had.

 _"_ You did all this because you thought I was alone on Christmas?" she asked and he nodded carefully. "Thanks," she whispered.

She smiled at him as she went towards the door, putting on her shoes.

"Do you want me to walk you to your door?" he asked as he stood close to her.

She chuckled, "I live one staircase down, I think I'm good." She stood up, having knotted her shoes, and carefully stepped closer to him. In the amount of a few minutes she'd stepped onto her toes, kissed his cheek and left with a quick bye.

* * *

It only took two days before the next invite came, this time in the form of a handwritten letter which she presumed the redhead had been all over when it was made. To her big surprise the girl seemed to know her letters, and she couldn't help but wonder how much help she'd gotten from her father. The invite included dinner, dessert _and_ another movie. Kate sadly had to decline due to her shift at work but sent a handwritten letter of her own saying she was free the day after if it worked for them as well. Before she had gotten back to her door she heard panting behind her and when she turned around she saw Alexis coming out of the door to the staircase, breath in her throat and a wide smile on her lips.

"We can do tomorrow! Can you come by five?" she'd asked excitedly and when Kate answered yes with a big smile the small girl threw her arms around Kate's legs in a hug before running back to her father, who was standing in the open staircase door observing his daughter.

The night after was amazing, dinner was amazing and to Kate's delight she would be able to help out with the dessert. Her and Alexis took over the kitchen, throwing out Rick in order to be able to work in peace, and she could both see and sense the gratefulness Rick was feeling towards her. It looked like he was smitten by how his daughter had finally found someone else to look up to, someone she turned to. Just like last time it didn't take long before the girl had snuggled into Kate and fallen asleep after they put on the movie they'd chosen, Finding Dory this time. Just like last time Rick carried the little girl to bed and came back down as soon as he'd tucked her in. This time Kate stayed on the couch and waited for him to join her to finish the movie. She hadn't really thought of watching the Disney movies but now that she'd been halfway forced she admitted to herself of missing the magic behind them, she'd never admit it to anyone else though. Since she didn't say anything or did any attempt to move she figured he got the memo, especially since he himself didn't say anything but just sat back down on the couch. They sat quiet until the credits started rolling, that's when Rick broke the silence.

"Never figured you for a Disney girl," he teased and she rolled her eyes with a smile on her lips as she turned her head towards him.

"Woman," she corrected him, "and I'm not."

"Yeah, sure, keep telling yourself that," he huffed with a chuckle in his throat.

She joined his chuckle and as their laughter died out they found themselves sitting there staring at each other. Kate was the one to break eye contact when she looked down at her hands in her lap, her fingers fidgeting with her nails.

"It was my mother," she offered and he hummed in question. She looked up at him to see his curious and confused expression. "My mother was killed around Christmas, murdered, and when me and my dad finally got around to take down the Christmas decorations it was like we closed that box for good. That's why I got so angry when you were playing Christmas carols so loud, she used to do that too and I just..."

"You miss her," he finished her sentence when she couldn't.

She only nodded, suddenly noticing the tear that had slipped past her quickly wiped it away and hoped she would be able to stop the rest that threatened to spill.

"I'm sorry, we had a great night and I'm ruining it," she half-whispered half-said as she took a deep breath in order to collect herself.

"No, don't be sorry! You're not ruining anything. I'm honored you're telling me," he insisted, putting a careful hand on her knee closest to him.

A small smile entered her lips, he was too sweet. _His little girl_ was too sweet.

"I gotta say, you and Alexis has made these past few days a little lighter, with the dinner and the letter, the joy in Alexis's eyes when she talks about Christmas," she admitted without really knowing why, but knowing it was the truth.

"Well, you're welcome to join us for dinner tomorrow too, and you're definitely more than welcome to join us for Christmas, I know Alexis wants it too," he offered and she shook her head gently,

"Oh no, I couldn't invade your Christmas traditions."

She observed as he looked at her for a moment in deep thought, and she could tell he was definitely up to something.

"How about I make you a deal, I promise to get you coffee at work every day at lunch and if I don't miss a single day you'll join us for Christmas?" he narrowed his eyes in the waiting of her answer.

Kate thought about it. The coffee at the precinct did really not taste good at all, and she was tired of having to walk to the nearby Starbucks every time she needed _real_ coffee. She narrowed her eyes back at the man of the deal. _Why did he have to make such an irresistible offer?_

"And how do you know I don't love the coffee at the precinct?" she challenged.

"Come on, I've been to plenty of precincts, the coffee 99 percent of the time tastes like a monkey peed in battery acid," he stated confidently.

 _Fuck._

"Fine, but if you miss _one_ lunch, I will not suffer the celebration of Christmas," she half-joked but she could see he got afraid.

"You don't have to..."

"No, God, Rick, I didn't mean I would suffer like that. But I won't crash your Christmas Day if you miss one lunch," she stated, holding out her hand.

He looked at it and got a smirk growing on his lips as he took her hand.

"Deal," they both said simultaneouslyas they shook hands.

* * *

"Lanie, I don't have anything to wear!" Kate whined to her best friend the day before Christmas.

"Well, if you had went shopping with me this wouldn't have been a problem," the Latino-woman said, crossing her arms over her chest with a meaningful glance.

Kate sighed, "I'm sorry! But how should I know that he wouldn't miss a single lunch! I thought he'd be too busy with sleeping at least one day!"

Rick had, as promised, delivered coffee during every lunch for the past weeks. He had even delivered coffee in the afternoon and sometimes he had come in early in the morning to give her a cup of her daily dose of caffeine. She found it sweet but at the same time she wasn't sure of their deal, she didn't want to ruin their Christmas with her grumpy mood. Then again the last couple of days they had been watching Christmas movies and she hadn't freaked out, yet. It was actually refreshing seeing the holiday through another family's eyes, considering her own family consisting on only her and her father didn't celebrate it anymore. The day before Rick had made sure she was not uncomfortable by the thought of spending Christmas with him and the little redhead, said he didn't want her to feel forced no matter the deal they'd made.

"Good thing for you I actually have an early Christmas gift for you then," Lanie interrupted Kate's frantic pulling of her clothes in her closet.

She turned around and looked at the woman who was now pulling something out of a bag she'd brought, a bag which Kate had missed in all her worry about not having something good enough to wear.

"Merry Christmas," Lanie said holding out a present for her to take.

Kate fry carefully accepted the gift and sat down on her bed, beside her best friend. After a few minutes of complete silence her friend groaned.

"Come one Kate! Just open it already!" She complained with a wide smile on her lips.

Kate did as she was told, carefully unwrapping the present and was surprised to find a box inside, one of those boxes which usually contained a dress. She gave her friend a surprised face but only got narrowedeyes in return along with some encouraging to the kid was off Kate's jaw dropped, it was a beautiful red dress with just the right amount of glitter down the neckline, a dress she would normally not wear but she had to admit it was absolutely... stunning.

"I think it's gonna look absolutely perfect on you," Lanie said and Kate looked at her friend.

"How did you...?"

"Oh shush, I know you're not the dress kind of girl and I hoped your deal would work out," she revealed. "You're totally smitten by the guy and I figured you'd want to shock him, show off your amazing curves."

Her friend smirked naughtily at her and Kate groaned, even though she was grateful she would never let Lanie know her inner thoughts.

"Come on, try it on! I need to see if my vision is right!"

She didn't have to be told twice about that, herself dying to see if it would be good enough for the Christmas celebration she was invited to several weeks ago.

* * *

When Rick opened the door his eyes almost popped out at the sight of her. She felt her cheeks get hot at the reaction she got from him, she'd spent a whole hour on her fixing her hair and doing her makeup and she was so so thankful the dress Lanie had given her the day before had fitted her perfectly.

"Ka-te, youlook," he paused to swallow, "great."

"Thanks," she bit her lip and Rick stepped aside in order to let her in.

The second Alexis came down the stairs she yelled out in excitement before she came running towards her.

"Wow!" she called out when she saw Kate's full fashion for the evening.

"Hi to you too kiddo," Kate chuckled and bent down to put her arms out for the girl to step into.

Alexis hugged her tight and Kate could swear the girl was secretly sniffing her hair before she let go. Kate picked up the bag she had brought with her, holding it up she smirked at the small girl.

"Where would you like the presents?" she asked with narrowed eyes.

"Under the tree! Under the tree!" Alexis jumped up and down with joy before she took Kate's free hand and dragging her towards the beautifully decorated Christmas tree, the very same one she'd helped them decorate only a week earlier.

Kate laughed at the girl's excitement and she could hear Rick join her laughter from behind. The second she was by the tree she smiled at all the presents her dad had put under there, he was truly spoiling his daughter. Kate took out the three gifs shewas going to add to the big pile and hoped the two would be pleased by them once they opened them.

Rick observed the way the woman was playing with his little girl, the way she was tickling Alexis until she couldn't breathe and how she easily stepped into the character of the doll she was handed from her. He was so amazed by how quickly Alexis had taken liking to the woman, how fast the woman had attached herself to his girl. Never in his little girl's life had he seen Alexis create a bond to a woman like she had with Kate, not even her own mother. He'd never seen her so happy either, hell _he_ 'd never felt this happy before!

"Daddyyy, comeplay with us!" Alexis interrupted his thoughts and he shook his head in order to stop staring before the woman could see he'd been watching them the whole time.

"I'm making the dinner, I can't just leave it Pumpkin," he chuckled and his daughter came up to him.

He quickly picked her up in his arms and she pouted with her puppy eyes on display. Noticing Kate sneaking up to them he started tickling his little girl who immediately started squirming in his arms, trying to get away from his tickling fingers. The second she noticed Kate being close behind she started reaching for the woman who didn't think twice before saving the redhead.

"Hey! You're supposed to help me!" Rick complained and Kate raised her eyebrows while Alexis stuck out her tongue in mock.

"Why'd you think that?" Kate questioned, trying her best not to laugh at the fake hurt his whole face expressed.

"We're adults!" he said and she couldn't hold in the laugh then, and Alexis was quick to join her.

"You? Adult? Ha! In your dreams," she said through her laughter.

Rick pretended to be offended, but Kate could see the amusement in his eyes. Suddenly he pretended to pounce at them and Alexis yelped in excited fright. Kate was too fast for him though, quickly putting enough space for them to be out of his grasp. Just before he could re-try his attempt his alarm set off, the dinner was ready. Kate set down the girl so they could all help putting out the food so they could sit down and start eating the delicious food. If it was one thing Kate had learned it was that Rick was an amazing cook, because of all the times they'd eaten dinner he had outdone himself every single had thought about returning the favor but sadly she hadn't had the time, yet. She was hoping she could invite them over for a dinner at her apartment once the year was over, when she would get an early day from work.

"This is so good," Kate said after her second plate, her stomach completely full.

Alexis hummed, her hands on her belly as she looked like she wouldn't be able to eat anything more ever. Kate totally felt with the girl, there was no chance she would eat more for _days_.

"Pumpkin, you can't fall asleep _now_ , it's time for the presents," Rick said when the girl almost looked like she was going to snooze off.

Kate almost laughed out loud at the reaction of the girl, immediately widening her eyes and jumping out of her chair with a joyous scream.

"Come on Kate!" she called out taking her hand and dragging her out off her seat.

That did make her laugh as she stumbled behind the littlegirl, who didn't let go until they stood in front of the Christmas tree. Kate heard the girl's father follow after them while chuckling at his daughter's excitement, "Easy Alexis."

The girl turned only to grin at him before she returned to the presents. She took one out and by the looks of it Kate had a feeling it was a present the girl had wrapped herself.

"This is for you Kate!" she said with a big smile as she turned to Kate and held out the present.

"For me?" Kate asked surprised and accepted the gift.

"Yep! I chose it myself!" the redhead said with a proud expression.

As the girl turned around to go back to gift hunting Kate sneaked a glance at Rick, who only nodded with an almost equally excitement as his daughter. Rick told her she could sit down wherever she liked while he helped his girl sort out all the presents. Once all the presents where out Kate felt rather shocked to have four presents by her side with her name on it. She'd specifically told Rick she didn't want or needed any presents when he asked her what she wished for, had told him that he should focus on his little girl instead. Apparently he hadn't listened to her, even though she was pretty sure he had focused well on his daughter as well.

"So, which would you like to open first pumpkin?" Rick asked and she immediately went for one of the gifts Kate had put under the tree earlier.

"This one!"

Kate bit her lower lip, wondering if the girl would like the gift she'd gotten her or not. As Alexisopened the gift Kate found herself holding her breath in participation, she had asked Alexis a few days earlier what she wished for in Christmas but had gotten the answer that she would be glad for anything, which hadn't exactly helped Kate through her search of a good enough present. She didn't let go of the breath until Alexis unwrapped the gift and let go of a string of loud 'thank you's. She took out the stuffed elephant and hugged it tight to her chest as she raised from her seat in order to run towards Kate. The little girl threw an arm around Kate's neck and Kate let go of a relieved chuckle as she hugged the girl back.

"You're welcome Lex," she said, kissing the top of the girl's hair.

"Your turn! This one!" Alexis said as soon as she let go, picking up the first present she'd handed to Kate earlier.

Kate chuckled giving into the girl's demand, she opened the gift and couldn't stop the open mouth smile she got when seeing what Alexis had gotten her.

"Oh my god," she whispered as she looked down at the bracelet in the box.

"I chose the charms myself! The cuffs is because you're a cop, the elephant is because you said it was your favorite animal, the ring is for your mom, the small watch is for your dad, the half heart is because you're my best friend and I have the other part, see?" she explained each charm in the bracelet before holding up the charm she'd put in a necklace around her neck.

Kate knew she had tears in her eyes but didn't care, she just reached for the girl to pull her into a hug and kissed the girl's temple, whispering 'thank you sweetie' in her ear. Feeling his eyes on her she glanced up only to meet his eyes, the adoration in his blues had her cheeks blushing. She couldn't believe how comfortable she'd become with them for the past weeks she'd known them, _she was showing so much emotion for crying out loud._ She'd never shown this type of strong emotion to anyone before, not even Lanie had seen this side of her. They kept opening presents, Alexis got plenty and Kate was finally getting back the Christmas spirit she'd lost those years ago. She was moved by the other two gifts she got from Alexis, one being a painting the girl had made herself and the second being a candle-holder she'd decorated one day. She was down to her last gift when Rick decided to open the gift she'd gotten for him, of course she'd gotten him a gift even though both of them said they wouldn't. It didn't feel right coming into his home, eating his food and _not_ bring a present for him, especially considering how much he'd done for her without really knowing. Kate looked carefully at him as he opened the gift, not as worried about his gift as she'd been with Alexis's since she knew his childish ass would love it.

" _Oh my god!_ " he yelled out as he'd unwrapped it. "Where did you find this?!"

She laughed at his reaction, knowing he was looking at the Star Wars collector pop figure he'd been looking for in over a year and never found. He'd told her about it when she'd stumbled across his now full collection of the figures and was overjoyed when she'd gotten the opportunity to buy it for him.

"I had a suspect who knew a guy that imported them and he was more than happy to help me out when I threatened to hold him in lock up for twenty-four hours if he didn't," she said shrugging her shoulders.

"You blackmailed him? For me?" Rick said with fake tears in his eyes, but truly she could see how touched he was behind the faking.

She grinned at him, and Alexis was rolling her eyes as she continued to snuggle the stuffed elephant and colored in the color book her father had gotten her.

"Your turn," Rick suddenly said with a smug smile on his lips.

 _Oh,_ that's right, she got one present left. She looked at it and saw this one was from Rick himself. _What had she gotten herself into?_ Carefully she started opening it, not knowing what to expect. Once she could see what was inside she felt her heart flutter. In it laid one ticket to what looked like a baseball game along with a baseball, signed by _Joe freaking Torre_.

"And how the h... did you pull this off?" she asked, refraining herself just in time remembering the small girl who did _not_ need to hear curse words just yet.

"Well, when you know the man it's not hard getting them to do a few favors," he shrugged his shoulder and Kate's eyes widened.

"You _know_ Joe Torre?! How?!" she was in absolute shock.

"My mother and he used to uhm... _date_ ," he explained with a scrunched nose.

Kate couldn't help but wrinkle her nose a little as well, didn't matter if she was a fan or not, she understood his small disgust.

"So, you like it?" he asked with an uncertainty in his eyes. "Of course I got a ticket for myself and Alexis too, thought we could make a day out of it," he added with more care in his tone.

"I love it, thank you so much!" Kate immediately wanted to chase away any doubt he might've had.

Kate suddenly felt another pair of eyes watching her and turned her head to find Alexis looking at her with a thoughtful gaze.

"What's wrong Lex?" she asked but the girl just snapped out of it and got a smile on her lips.

"I wanna show you something in dad's office, you too dad," was all she said as she jumped up on her feet and took a hold of their hands as she passed, dragging both adults into Rick's office.

Kate observed the girl who was oddly looking up at the ceiling and seemed to be strategically staging her and Rick in specific positions beside each other. When she seemed satisfied she started giggling, as if she couldn't believe her plan actually worked.

"What are you up to?" Rick questioned with narrowed eyes aimed at his daughter.

She only continued to giggle and said 'Look up' as her finger pointed up at the ceiling. Kate wrinkled her forehead in wonder as she followed the girl's gaze. _That sneaky little girl had placed them under a mistletoe, a-mistle -toe!_

"Oh," Rick tried to swallow as quiet as possible but given how close the girl had placed them Kate could head it.

"Come on! You know the ruuuules!You're supposed to kiss," Alexis said matter-of-factly.

Kate glanced at the man beside her and noticed he was looking at her with a questioning expression, as if he was asking permission. Taking a deep but quick breath Kate stood on her toes and pecked his lips, not wanting to make a big deal of it but to her surprise the small girl groaned in disappointment.

"Noo, three seconds, the rule is three seconds," she said in determination. "I can count."

Kate couldn't help but chuckle at that, and when she looked at Rick he had a small, almost not visible, grin showing in his eyes and lips.

"Okay, fine, start counting," Kate said, not really knowing where the newfound confidence came from.

 _Perhaps from the way his lips had made hers tingle even though the quickest touch ever_. Kate locked eyes with Rick and she was relieved to see him leaning closer to her, putting a hand on her waist as their lips touched in a tender kiss.

"Oone," Alexis started counting. "Twoo,"she paused a little and then said, "Two and a half."

Both Kate and Rick started laughing at that, their lips automatically parting in the process.

"I didn't say three!" Alexis complained but Kate could hear the little girl was only teasing now.

"You cheated," Rick said as matter-of-factly as his daughter had stated they had to kiss only minutes earlier.

The girl only shrugged her shoulders with a sweet grin before she ran back into the living room. Looking at him Kate could see he was trying to make a quick decision, knowing this thanks to all the times the suspects had tried making the same quick decision in interrogation.

"I-uh, I hope you know you didn't have to, I mean, we could've... not," he said, stumbling over his words as he looked at her to meet her eyes.

"Oh I know, I didn't mind," she assured him. "You know, I think she's been trying to set us up,"Kate said in a tease, trying to ease up the mood.

"You think?" he said with a chuckle. "Honestly?" he added, waiting for her to nod before he continued, "I'm not even mad about it."

A giggle slipped past her lips before she managed to bite onto her lower lip and stop it. The thought of his lips on her again had her heart skipping a beat because, _damn_ , that had felt so right. She was suddenly so aware of how close they still were, only mere centimeters away from their bodies to touch.

"Me neither," she answers out on a breath and kept looking back and forth his blue eyes.

She couldn't stop her eyes from quickly flicking down to his lips, wanting to taste them again, and when she met his eyes again she knew he'd seen the change because he was leaning down again. This time, when their lips touched, it wasn't as careful and unsure, it was forceful and urgent with tongues quickly finding a rhythm to taste each other. Kate felt his hands land on her hips, pulling her body closer to his and she by automatic let her arms go around his neck, fingers slipping into his hair.

"Yes!" thesmall quiet cheer had the two of them immediately pulling apart to snap their head towards the redhead smiling with her whole face.

Kate shook her head as she giggled, the little girl was getting her way with them way too easily. Rick took off towards his girl with a 'I'm gonna get you!' and she let go of a scream as she set off towards the living room. Kate followed the duo laughing at the childishness.

* * *

With Alexis asleep Kate found herself sitting on the couch, looking at the bracelet she'd gotten from the little girl. She kept thinking about their kiss earlier, couldn't help but think about what it meant for them. If she was honest with herself she'd felt it coming. She liked him, _a lot_ , and she was scared of how comfortable she felt with him _and_ his little girl.

"Hey," the man of her thoughts said in a low tone as he came down the stairs.

Looking up at him she smiled with a 'hi' back. He was smiling at her with a gentleness in his eyes and she had a feeling he was thinking about the same as she did. When he sat down in the couch beside her she held up the hand with her new bracelet.

"I thought we said no presents," she said meaningfully.

He only chuckled, picked up his pop figure she'd gotten for him. "I thought so too," he teased.

She pursed her lips in a smile, "Only seemed fair considering I've been eating a lot of your food lately."

"I definitely don't mind, and neither does Alexis," he said and she chuckled.

"Yeah, about her, you think this was her plan all along?" she asked and he joined her chuckle.

"Think so," after a couple of seconds of silence he said, "Kate?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you-uh, are we... do you want to try?"

His voice was careful and she could see the way he was trying not to show too much of his own emotions, his own thoughts. She wondered if it was a way to let her decide or a try not to let his emotions go too far in case she said no. Good thing she had a feeling she was too far gone now after they'd kissed.

"Yeah," she said shyly, "I'd like to. I have to warn you though, I don't let people in too easy," she admitted, wanting him to know what he got himself into.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not scared easily," he said and she laughed as quiet as she could with the thoughts on the sleeping girl upstairs.

"I've gotten that feeling," she said, thinking back at how she'd yelled at him that first time they met.

He reached for her hand and once holding it she let their fingers intertwine with a small gasp. It felt like static were running from her fingers onto her arm and straight to her heart.

"So, what do you now think of Christmas? Wasn't that bad?"

She smiled and moved closer to him. "Feels like a Christmas miracle, meeting the two of you like I did, you inviting me today. Wouldn't have had it another way."

The two of them leaned closer until their lips could touch in yet another kiss, this one as sweet as she'd ever felt a kiss, and she had a feeling this one amazing Christmas would only be the beginning of many more to come.

* * *

 _The End._

* * *

 _A/N:_  
 _Hope you all enjoyed! Thank you so much for reading and leave a comment if you want._  
 _xxxx_


	30. Chapter 30 - Gifted

_Prompt: A being different and treated like a monster while B gets up the courage to stand up for A which kind of leads to fumbled kisses and slight touches that make their faces burn._

* * *

"What's wrong _norm_?"

"Can't reach it freak?"

Kate Beckett walked in the corridor at her high school and stopped at the sound of the two guys she knew all too well. She clenched her eyes shut, also immediately knowing who they were picking on. Richard Rodgers. There was no one else at the school who weren't gifted, no one else they would call 'norm' as short for normal.

"Come on Chad, just... please just... give me back my bag, please," his voice was so sad it made her heart wrench.

Kate leaned her back towards the lockers, her eyes still clenched. It felt so wrong. Sure, he was what people nowadays considered normal, a non-gifted, but that didn't mean he was bad or _not_ gifted. Kate had once bumped into him and gotten a look into that book he's always carrying around, he was very talented with his words.

"Oh boohoo, _norm_. Try get it yourself," Chad said and she heard Ian laugh in a mock.

"Assholes," Kate breathed out as her anger started bubbling inside her.

"You know I can't, come on, please," Rick's vulnerable voice was small.

"Not our fault your mom had sex with a nobody," Ian said and _that was it!_

Kate clenched her fist as she turned the corner she'd hid behind.

"Hey! Back off guys!" she barked out, letting only a small amount of anger show in her voice.

Both Chad and Ian turned to her with raised brows, as if they couldn't believe their eyes. Kate went to stand right in front of the three guys, only slightly glancing at Rick who was looking at her with big eyes.

"Why do you care? He's a _norm_ ," Chad questioned with a mocking chuckle sent Rick's way.

"Yeah, and you shouldn't stand so close to him, we don't want your beautiful gifted soul get poisoned by this freak," Ian added, which made Kate narrow her eyes.

"You're right, I am gifted just like you, but you also know I learned how to control my powers long before any of you so if you don't want me to snap your necks I suggest you back off," Kate threatened and prayed he wouldn't expose her as she added, "my boyfriend is much better than any of you, with or without gift."

All three guys looked at her with shock, and when she glanced at Rick she saw he was about to protest. Quickly she strode over to him in two steps to seal her lips to his, shutting him up before he could blow her lie. She held his cheeks between her hands, making sure he couldn't push her away like she had predicted he would. It took about a second before she felt his lips respond to hers, moving them carefully and she felt her lips starting to tingle. Suddenly her hands were traveling from his cheeks to behind his head, pulling him closer to her, and she felt his hands carefully tease at her hips.

"Fucking hell, Kate Beckett?" Chad cursed with a tone of disgust in his voice. " _He's a norm!_ You can't be with him! You should be with one of your own, like us!"

Kate didn't want to but pulled away from the guy who had let his thumbs teased at the edge of her shirt, making her whole inside want more. She took one shuttering breath before she turned to the two bullies with a threatening look.

"You two?" she laughed. "I would never be with anyone like you, if anyone's a freak it's you two assholes," she added before standing in a position indicating she was ready to fight. "Now, leave or be prepared to get your asses kicked by one of _the_ Beckett's."

Kate knew it was wrong to use her title, had been told many times not to do it, but there was no way she was going to stand down and watch them torture the non-gifted any longer.

"Hey, no reason to get violent," Ian immediately surrendered with hands up in the air.

Chad slowly backed away with a frown on his face as he said, "Fine." The two guys walked around the very same corner Kate had come from, leaving her alone with Rick, who was still standing behind her. She could hear him take a deep breath and she bit her still-tingling lip as she turned around towards him. It took her only a second to remember the bag they had put by the window in the roof, apparently there was a hook there and of course they had taken advantage of that. She only had to concentrate a little to make it fly right down and into her hand.

"Here," she reached it out to the guy now standing in front of her. "I'm sorry they keep bugging you, hopefully they won't do that anymore."

"You didn't... have to do that," he stammered, looking down at his feet. "I _am_ just a norm, not all all worthy of _you_ ," he mumbled quietly.

Kate clenched her eyes at the statement, her insides boiling at the fact that he believed them.

"No, Rick, don't you ever say that," she demanded and his eyes landed on her wide with absolute shock in the blues. "Those guys are jackasses and anyone who says anything similar to them are just as dumb as them. You are perfect just as you are." She could see he had a hard time believing her, and she bit her inside cheek. "I wouldn't have kissed you if I didn't believe so," she added and she could see his cheeks turn a light pink.

"Yeah, uhm, thanks for lying," he said and accepted the bag she was still holding. "You might want to go tell them it's not true, you don't want the whole school to think we're, uh, dating."

Kate sighed, "I don't care what they think. And if that would mean they'd got off your back I'm only glad to be pretend-dating you." She gave him a smile which only seemed to make his cheeks turn into a more reddish color.

"I don't want your name to be disgraced, I mean, you're _the_ Kate Beckett. You already had your powers figured out as a toddler! _And_ your parents are like the royals in the gifted world!" he said and she only giggled at the admire she could hear in his voice.

"I'm nothing special, I'm just like you," she said with a small blush on her cheeks.

He huffed, "No you're not. You're not a norm, you're gifted."

She shook her head, "I'm human, and so are you. And you _are_ gifted, maybe not in the way that you want to be but you are."

He shook his head in protest and she rolled her eyes at his stubbornness. She grabbed his bag again, quickly opening it up even though he tried to stop her, and took out the book he always carried around to hold it up.

"This. This is your gift, Rick," she said and he snatched the book from her hand, as if he was afraid she'd open it.

"Wha-what are you talking a-about? I've never let anyone open this," he said, clutching the book to his chest.

"No, I know. But do you remember when we bumped into each other in the beginning of the year?" she waited for his answer.

"How could I forget? I thought you were going to grill me, any other gifted would."

Her heart skipped a beat at that, sadly she could see that scenario happening. Not many gifted were accepting the non-gifted very well.

"Anyway, your book fell open right in front of me and I might have... sneaked a peek," she smiled carefully, "sorry."

"You... you read something?" his voice turned high-pitched, his fingers started shaking a little around his book.

Kate bit her lip again, didn't want him to be angry about it, didn't want to make him uncomfortable.

"Yeah, I'm sorry, I didn't know it was a big deal until later on when I saw you always kept it close. You're a really good writer, and a good kisser," she tried lightening the mood, immediately earning another blush on his cheeks.

She held his bag open towards him and he carefully put the book back inside before she zipped up the bag and handed it back to him. He put the bag on his back and she gently reached out to take his hand, which he immediately pulled away from her.

"Wh-what are you doing?" he stammered and she smiled to calm him.

"Relax writer-boy, just take my hand, we'll walk out of here hand in hand and if anyone sees us they'll stop bugging you," she said, holding out her hand and waiting for him to make the move.

It took a couple of minutes, but she didn't give up. This guy needed some encouragement, needed someone to believe in him, needed someone to tell him he was just as special as the ones people called 'gifted'. When his hand finally landed in hers she hugged it tightly and pulled him towards the exit of the school. Getting outside Kate could see there was a few students still around the building, all of them stopping whatever they were doing the second they saw her and Rick walking together. To Kate's annoyance she could see them immediately start whispering and Rick was starting to slowly pull away.

"Maybe this isn't a good idea Kate," he said with a low voice.

"Yes, it is," she insisted, pulling him closer and with a quick move she kissed his cheek before she snuggled into his arm as they walked down the street.

She made sure to keep him close, not letting his fear steer him away from her. Once they had gotten pretty far away from the school she could feel the tension in his body relax, and she wondered if he could feel the same weird tingling thing on his skin as she did in hers, as if his touch was electric.

"Thank you, I guess you should be heading home," he said carefully.

"Well, I have nothing to go home to right now, parents still at work, so if you don't mind I'd love to walk you home," she suggested and she felt his gaze on her.

"You sure? I'm not exactly the kind of type you usually hang out with," he only mumbled the last part, as if he didn't want her to hear but it still managed to sneak past his lips.

"You mean gifted?" she questioned and looking at him she could see him swallow. "Maybe not, but that's exactly what makes you interesting, and I already know you're a great writer so I can't help but wonder what other gifts you're hiding," she was teasing him, trying to do so in the most friendly way, to let him know he wasn't alone.

He only nodded, which she took as an invite that it was okay. She licked her lower lip and intertwined her fingers with his, couldn't help but already getting addicted to the way his skin felt against hers. She told him to lead the way and he hesitated for only two seconds before he sighed to indicated he gave up. They walked for thirty minutes before Rick dragged her into a building where she presumed he lived. Waking inside the lobby she could see the some of the people there giving them some confusing looks, and she wondered how many in the building knew he was non-gifted.

"You know, you don't have to follow me up, thank you for following me this far though," he said as he clicked the call button for the elevator.

She gave him a look, "I haven't followed you all the way over here only to let you go. I wanna see where you live."

The elevator dinged and she was the one to pull him with her into it, wanting to assure him it didn't matter if he was different, he could be anything he wanted no matter what.

"Why are you being so nice to me?" Rick asked when the doors closed and the elevator started moving to his level.

"Why shouldn't I be? I needed those jerks to stop harassing you, and I figure you could use a friend," she answered honestly. "But if you don't want me as a friend I'll of course leave you alone, no hard feelings," she added with a kind smile, looking at him only to meet his blue eyes.

His eyes were so damn blue is was almost hypnotizing, it felt like she was swimming in the ocean as she got stuck in them. There was a sadness in his eyes that she feared had been there a long time.

"Okay, just so you know I'm not really good at being... friends, I haven't had any since..." his voice died out as the elevator dinged and the doors opened. "This is me," he said when they reached a door and he let go of her hand, and this time she let him.

He reached into his pocket in order to get out a key before he unlocked the door. He opened the door and gestured for her to go in first, _such a gentleman for not being used to friends_ , she couldn't stop her thinking. Once they were inside they took off their jackets and shoes, and Kate suddenly heard footsteps approaching from somewhere inside the apartment.

"Richard you're home!" a red headed woman appeared in the hall and Kate felt her insides flutter with nervousness. "Oh, and you brought a girl, hello darling, I'm Richard's mother, you can call me Martha," she immediately said holding out her hand.

"Hi, uhm, Kate," Kate answered as she reached out and shook the woman's hand.

"Do you kids want some snacks or do you wanna scadadle into Richard's room?" the woman, Martha, asked and Kate looked at Rick who immediately blushed.

"Mother! Just... don't," he groaned, clearly embarrassed.

Kate only chuckled, "I'd never say no to snacks, miss Rodgers."

"Oh, please, call me Martha, miss Rodgers sounds so... old," she said and Rick tried holding back a chuckle. "Watch it," she warned him and Kate had to bite her inside cheek in order not to laugh.

"Okay, Martha," she said instead and the woman smiled to her before she set off to what Kate assumed was the kitchen.

"Come on," Rick said, following his mother and so did Kate.

* * *

"Mm, these pancakes are amazing," Kate moaned after having eaten a second of Martha's heavenly made pancakes.

"Oh wow, thank you darling. Richard taught me," she said and Kate looked at the guy sitting in front of her.

She was confused but could see Rick was blushing so what the woman had said must be true then. Wonder how he had been the one teaching her and not the other way around.

"Uhm, I'm sorry but I gotta go to the bathroom," Rick excused himself, rising from the chair and turned to his mother with a warning glare. "Don't you dare show her any of those pictures you always show your friends."

"Oh shush," Martha waved her hand in an ignorant manner.

As soon as Rick had left the woman sat down in his previous seat in front of her, she had a somewhat saddened but serious look on her face as she immediately got Kate's attention.

"Katherine, I gotta ask... are you out to hurt him?" she said and Kate's eyes widened in shock.

"What?! No! Absolutely not! I would never hurt him," she immediately protested.

"I'm sorry for asking, I just... I worry about him, can you really blame me?" his mother said with a low voice, probably in order to not let him hear what she was saying.

Kate bit her lip and sighed. "Listen Martha, I don't want him hurt, I hate how people treat him sometimes. He's just as gifted as anyone of us," she said with a sincere voice. She knew he probably didn't want her to tell his mother these things but at the same time she could see Martha's concern and she didn't want to lie either. "I actually kind of started a rumor today, in hopes it would benefit him," she confessed.

"How could a rumor benefit my boy?" Martha questioned, already going into defensive mode.

"I told two di... guys that I was his girlfriend, threatened to beat them if they ever hurt him again, hopefully that'll do some good."

The redhead immediately calmed down but got a shocked expression instead. When they heard a door close Martha immediately shook her head and started asking Kate about her favorite subject in school and what she wanted to be when she grew up, all in order to keep Rick away from the topic they had been discussing earlier as he entered the kitchen.

"Don't grill her," he said instead before he asked Kate if she wanted to see his room or if she had someplace to be.

It almost looked like he was expecting her to run as fast as she possibly could, so when she told him she wanted to see his room he looked genuinely shocked to say the least. She once again thanked his mother for the pancakes before she raised and followed Rick further into the apartment, the apartment was a lot bigger than a Kate first had gotten the impression of it being. Rick opened up a room and once again was the gentleman of letting her in first, and immediately shutting the door after them before he started roaming the room. He kept apologizing for how 'messy' it was, even though it was a lot cleaner than any other boy's room she'd been to, not that she'd been to a lot of guys' rooms.

"I'm sorry I left you alone with her, I know how she can be," he said once he was satisfied with the few clothing he'd hid in drawers.

"Don't worry about it," she said chuckling, "kind of reminds me of my mom."

Since there wasn't really any place to sit Kate took the liberty of sitting down on his bed, seeing a small shock in hues eyes as he took her in. It only took a few seconds before he sat down beside her, his hands in his lap, and his whole body sent out the message of how insecure he was of what he should be doing.

"What-eh, what should I say when they ask me if you're my girlfriend?" he quietly asked and Kate smiled while looking at him.

"Tell them I am," she shrugged her shoulders. "Let's show them I'd rather date you than any of the losers who keep bugging you."

"But, they'll never believe it, I mean, you _would_ never under any normal circumstances date me," he looked down at his hands, clearly not thinking she would.

Kate took a silent deep breath before she let her hand touch the other side of his cheek in order to turn his face towards her. "Yes I would," she said before she leaned forward to smash her lips on his again.

This time his started moving with hers a lot faster than last time, and this time she didn't hesitate from letting her tongue slip past her lips to ask permission at his. She could feel hesitation from him though, but it didn't take long before she could feel the taste of him on her tongue and she moaned against him. _God this felt right._ His taste was sweet and _oh so arousing_. His hand landed on her knee and she could feel it burn through her pants. Without any warning she felt him nip at her lower lip and it evoked another moan from her throat, her hand at his cheek trailing into the nape of his hair to fiddle with the small hair there. He was groaning into her mouth then and she couldn't stop the smile from growing on her lips as his body sealed against hers and smoothly pushed her back into the mattress. With his chest right on top of hers she let her hand grip the hand he'd let land on her hip in order to slowly guide it under her shirt, letting his fingers touch her naked skin, immediately setting her on fire. Her whimper was what brought his fingers to a halt, his lips pulling away from hers with heavy breathing, sharing the same air she was tasting.

"You... you really would? You... you want to?" he asked between his breaths.

She chuckled, her whole body bubbling with an excitement she'd never felt before.

"Is that your version of asking me out on a date?" she teased, couldn't help it when she felt so comfortable with him. She opened her eyes, which had closed sometime when their lips first touched, and looked straight into his ocean blues. "Yes, I want to go out with you, and continue to kiss you," she confessed, trapping her bottom lip between her teeth as she felt her cheeks go hotter than they already were from the heated kissing they'd shared.

To her delight his lips turned up in a big grin, his eyes filled with happiness she'd never think she'd see in his blues. Before she could say anything more he leaned down and kissed her lips once more, teasing the skin under her shirt, and pulled away despite her protesting groan.

"My mother's home and I'm not so sure I want her to walk in on us in this position, I'd never hear the end of it," he swallowed and pulled her up into a sitting position.

"Well, I'm not sure that would be a very good first impression either," Kate admitted with a disappointed tone, which evoked a chuckle from him.

"No, I guess not, though I already have a feeling she's thinking we're more than we... were," he changed the last word just in time before it left his mouth. "Soo, what do we do now?" he asked carefully.

"Maybe we could watch a movie? Or you could let me read some of your work?" she knew it was far fetched but she wanted him to know she'd been serious when she said he had a gift.

"Can we stick to movies? I still don't want to open the book and show."

She could see he felt insecure about it, vulnerable even, and there was no way she'd push him. Especially not considering how much she'd pushed him already. "Of course, movies it is," she smiled at him and when his lips turned up to mirror hers she couldn't _not_ lean forward and kiss him again. It was just long enough to be considered a kiss, their lips moving together, although not as heated, as rushed, as the ones before.

* * *

Kate had a great night with him. They watched three movies in total before Kate's phone started ringing, her parents wondering where she was hiding. When they parted in his doorway she was surprised when he was the one to seal their lips together, the hot kiss was making her whole body yearn for more. He told her to text her when she got home, he wanted to know she got home safely, and when she did they kept texting all night until they both fell asleep in the waiting for the other to reply. The next morning they immediately started texting again, deciding they would meet up outside the school building in order to walk into the school hand in hand. This was of course mostly Kate's idea, saying she wanted everyone to know about them, wanting people to understand that if they messed with him they messed with her from now on. Plenty of her friends told her she was crazy, but she just told them to either go with it or fuck off, but she was happily surprised most of them supported her. They told her to invite him to their lunch table, as if she hadn't already done so, and she was glad to find them laughing at his jokes and accepting him immediately. Of course Chad and Ian had come up to the two of them when they had been standing by his locker in the middle of the day to try and get 'Kate back to her right mind', but to both Kate and Rick's surprise Kate's friends had immediately come to the rescue to back her up.

It had been a wonderful first week for both of them, and an amazing second. They had managed to wait with sex, but that was thanks to the hot make out sessions they had almost every day, allowing them to kiss their frustration away along with some touches of skin to skin. The furthest they'd gone in those two weeks was when Kate had said 'screw it' and guided his hand to her breast. But that was it, Rick had a lot more self-control than she would've liked. At the same time she was grateful, at least his wanting to wait proved he was in it for a relation. She had consistently assured him she wanted him in more ways than just one, telling him her darkest secrets in exchange for his, constantly telling him how extraordinary she found him. They had gone out on dates, and after a week her mom had given her an ultimatum. Either she let her parents meet her new boyfriend or they would consider him not good enough and stop her from seeing him. Her mom had said that if she felt the need of hiding him, as if she was ashamed of him, he was not worthy of her time. She had immediately agreed to invite him over that same evening, telling her parents they needed to be on their best behavior and that she would never forgive them if they made him feel unwelcome.

After the dinner she had awaited her parents judgement, afraid they would disapprove that he wasn't a gifted. Even though she knew they had never had such prejudices before, she had been afraid they'd change when it came to their _daughter_ dating him. To her big relief her mom had _loved_ him, and even though she could sense some dislike in her father's eyes she could also see it was because she was growing up, it had nothing to do with Rick being, well, Rick. She had never been so happy, not even when she and her parents had gone on a road trip that had easily turned number one on her favorite experiences in life.

"What are you thinking about?" Rick asked as his fingers smoothly ran up and down her cheek.

They were laying in her bed, she was on her back while he laid propped up on his side. She had a feeling he chose that particular position, as he so often did, because it gave him the opportunity to just watch her, and even though she had hated when her past two boyfriends did that, one of the reasons she broke up with them, she didn't mind him doing it at all. It was the weekend and they had now passed their one month anniversary, even though they hadn't been able to celebrate it she knew how big of a deal this was for him, it was as big of a deal for her.

"Nothing much," she answered, looking up at him. "Well, _us_. How far we've come, how I feel when you keep stroking my face," she admitted, his curious oceans always being able to draw out her inner feelings.

"You like it? Should I stop?" he suddenly asked and drew away his hand too fast for her to react.

"What? No! It makes it tingle," she confessed and grabbed his hand to pull it towards her lips, kissing his palm.

His lips turned up in a big smile and gently transferred his fingers to cup the same cheek he had stroked only seconds earlier. He bent down and put his lips on hers, sending electric shockwaves down her veins. _God, she was glad her parents weren't home_. When he was about to pull away she raised her hand to his cheek and pulled him back down, smashing his lips back on hers. She welcomed his tongue with a moan as his taste filled her mouth. She didn't understand how his taste could still make her so dizzy even though she must've tasted him a thousand times by now.

"Mm,wait, wait," he mumbled against her lips as he sucked at her lip while pulling away.

"What?" she opened her eyes to look into his blue.

"I was planning on giving you something at our anniversary but I never got the chance," he said, his body leaving her side.

She felt the lost presence a little too clearly for her liking, but she knew he wouldn't stay away for long. In order to follow his movements she propped up on her elbows and saw he was digging for something in his bag.

"I don't want anything but you," she chuckled quietly, biting the still tingling lip.

"Oh, I know," he turned to her with a knowing smirk. "But I want you to have this too," he took a tentative step forward as he hid... whatever he'd taken out of his bag, behind his back.

Kate furrowed her brows, what could be so important to kept secret? She sat up as he came closer to her and once he was close enough he sat beside her. Some of the insecurity she hadn't seen in a while returned to his eyes and she was about to tell him he had nothing to worry about when he opened his mouth again.

"Just, promise you won't laugh."

Her hand immediately landed on his knee, squeezing in a reassuring manner. "I won't," she promised.

He returned her careful smile before he handed her the item he'd held on to. It was a book! Confused she read the text stamped on it. _In a hail of bullets, the first novel by Richard Castle_.

"It's an alias, figured maybe more people would read it if they didn't know it's written by a non-gifted," Kate felt a warmth spread through her at the mention of being non-gifted, he'd always referred himself as a _norm_. "When I got enough people as hooked on my words as you've been the past two weeks, I can change my name legally and let people know who I am."

Kate felt a joy spread through her whole soul and she couldn't stop the tears from running down her cheeks as she launched herself onto him, thankful she manages to land his back still on her bed.

"This is amazing, I already love it," she told him with a big grin on her lips.

He chuckled at her reaction and she kissed his lips. "You haven't even read it yet, and I don't even know if it'll get published."

"It will," she said with confidence. "You know how I know that?" she questioned but answered before he did. "Because you are gifted, not like me or your mom but like yourself."

His smile got bigger, and she kissed it. The kiss was quickly heated up, both of them having built it up before he had to interrupt them with his beautiful announcement. He was going to try get published, _and_ he was believing in himself. She knew he'd be special, and she's so glad she'd decided to stand up for him that day one month ago. So glad she'd put her lips on his that first time. Now their bodies were tangling, voices moaning, and it didn't take long before they had gotten rid of their clothes. Skin against skin they continued to chuckle and moan and whimper, both feeling so incredibly lucky.

* * *

 _The End_

* * *

 _A/N:_  
 _Well, maybe not THE end, if you would like I'm already considering writing more one shots from this universe, but not yet. Let me know if you want me to and we'll see what happens next year._

 _HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Hope 2018 will be amazing for all of you!_  
 _xxxxx_


	31. Chapter 31 - Gym jealousy

_Prompt: Character A goes to the gym to impress character B, but B doesn't know it's for her and thinks it's for someone else. Jealousy appears and they realize their feelings._

* * *

Kate Beckett was standing on the other side of the gym as he walked in. He tried not to look too much at her, tried not to gain her attention even though she was the only reason he went there. Even as he didn't look at her, because he _swear_ he wasn't, Rick noticed her eyes on him. He straightened his back a little, flexed his muscles a little more as he started out at one of the machines. Shadowing her for the past one and a half year had been nothing like he had imagined, the desire he'd felt for her in the beginning had only increased. The difference was the desire was not only her body, not anymore. No, now, after spending all that time with her, he wanted her on a more emotional level. He wanted to _be_ with her.

"Hi," a woman, blonde, came up to him as he was working on his third machine.

Rick stopped his movements to look at the woman, hadn't seen her walking up to him until she'd opened her mouth. She was having one of those dazzling smiles some of his female fans had when they flirted with him at his book signings. _Urgh, Not again._

"Oh, hi," he answered, mostly out of courtesy.

Even though he wanted nothing to do with the blonde he smiled at her, he didn't want to be rude to her and it didn't matter how much he disliked it he wouldn't risk it in case she was a fan of his books and only wanted an autograph. However he did have a feeling she was not there to talk about his books.

"Looks good, how much can you lift?" she asked, biting her lower lip, as if that would rail him in.

He was not interested in the blonde, or _any_ other blonde for that matter, and he tried to search in his mind how to let her down easy. He answered her question as his thoughts traveled, doing his best to sound polite but without any indication of flirting. The only reason he was there in the first place was to show the detective he was good enough to be her partner, strong enough to have her back in the situations when she needed him to. And of course he wanted to show of his body.

"Do you go to the gym often?" she asked and he held in a groan.

"I try, sometimes work is keeping me but at least twice a week is my goal," he answered casually, forgetting his focus on _not_ sounding flirty.

Not that him talking casually was ever flirty but he did know he was charming due to him being used to standing in the spotlight at his book parties, it was in his nature and he couldn't help most people confused his celebrity charm with flirtation.

"Oh lucky me! Maybe you can help me with the machine over here," she said with a giggle and took his hand.

Before he could react she was dragging him over to one of the machines. In his peripheral vision he could see Beckett eyeing them, but when he did a quick glance over there she immediately turned her head away from him and focused on her sit-ups. He had noticed she preferred the mat, doing sit-ups, push-ups along with other forms of training he hadn't seen before. Oh, and she also liked pulling herself up on one of those steel pipes and box against the sack. Then, at the end of every workout session, she always, _always_ , did yoga. _God, he loved it when she did yoga_.

"Can you show me how I'm supposed to sit on this?" the blonde interrupted his thoughts and he turned back his attention to her.

Rick just barely held in the deep sigh of irritation he felt and decided to help out, being polite but making sure he indicated no interest in her whatsoever. She played dumb, trying to get as much of his attention as she could, but after a he'd explained in three different ways he simply suggested maybe she should do one of the machines she _did_ know how to use. That's when she miraculously managed to get a hang of how to work the machine.

"Good, now I need to get back to my own workout," he said with a nod and he could see the disappointment in the blonde's eyes before he turned his back to her and walked to the next machine on his training program.

To his relief his next machine was at the opposite side of the one the blonde was currently using. If it hadn't been he probably would've use the machine furthest away anyway because there was no way he'd let her think he was trying to be close to her. He continued his workout and to his next big relief he noticed the blonde leaving the gym only twenty minutes later. Glancing around the gym he saw Beckett boxing the sack as if he life depended on it, and he wondered what had her so worked up. He looked around and saw it was now only the two of them in the gym, apparently the blonde had been the last of the other people in it before also she left. Beckett's punches had the sack dangling and he furrowed his brows, why did it look like she was trying to punch it out of its chains? His feet almost automatically drew him closer to her, as if she was the northern side of a magnet and he was the south.

"Wow, what did the sack do to you," he chuckled as he approached the detective.

She gave him one of those infamous looks as she ignored his question and continued her boxing. He raised an eyebrow, surly he couldn't have anything to do with whatever she was mad about, could he?

"Anything happen?" he asked, all signs of laugh out of his voice.

She let go of a grunting laugh, "No, just leave me alone Castle," as she continued to land punches.

"Uhm, did I do something?" he asked carefully only to notice her next punch landed a little harder than it should, knocking the sack out of its chain, like he'd predicted.

"Fuck," he faintly heard the curse leave her lips as she started to bend down to pick up the sack. She raised it against the wall, knowing there was nothing she could do about it right now. She'd simply have to remember to tell the receptionist on her way out. "Now what?" he could hear her though slip out of her mouth and he got a good idea.

"How about picking it up a notch? I volunteer as your new sparring partner," he suggested and the look he got from her had his insides turn.

What did he do?

"Uh, no thanks. I'm just gonna do some more on the mat," she said stern and he wondered if he could change her mind.

"Why? Too afraid you'll loose to me?" he challenged in a tease.

"I would _not_ loose," she growled with irritation and he wondered if he could trick her into saying what was on her mind.

"Prove it," he challenged and she turned to him with clenched fits.

"Fine, prepare to get you ass kicked," she threatened and she took up the tape she often had with her and threw it towards him.

He caught it easily and taped his hands in a manner he'd seen her tape hers many times during the past year. Beckett was going to the large mat and he eyed her carefully under his lashes, noticing her back muscles flex and her shoulders tense. He must've really pissed her off, but he still didn't understand why or how. They had been working the day before, they had closed the case and he couldn't recall being any more annoying than he usually was. After he was done taping his hands he left the tape by the edge of the mat and stepped up to her.

"So, what rules?" he questioned and he watched as she turned towards him, fists up.

"No rules, unless you think you'll need them," she mocked and he grunted.

"No rules then," he agreed and tried to remember all the times he'd seen her practice her moves, maybe with that knowledge he could get the upper hand.

He got ready, holding up his fists in a mirroring action to hers before they both nodded in agreement to begin. After the nods they started circling each other and soon enough he tried out a punch, only for her to dodge it. She went in for his torso and when he blocked it she fit in her hip against his to trip him. Before he could fall completely to the mat he managed to grab her and pull her down with him. She grunted as he rolled her over and raised to his feet again. As he turned to her she was jumping up to her feet as well, making herself ready for whatever could come next. He tried another punch, this time towards her belly, and she grabbed his hand before it touched her. She turned it and pushed it behind his back, the famous cop grip she used against criminals. He gasped at the sudden pain and bent forward to sneak his foot behind hers and pull, tripping her backwards. When she landed he could hear her breath go out of her lungs, not having been prepared for the fall, and he took advantage of the position she was in, immediately straddling her. _Damn she was hot when she was all sweaty_. Rick tried to get rid of the thoughts that were circling around his head, loosing focus for a second it resulted in her pushing him over only to straddle him and pinning his hands over his head. Her eyes were filled with anger and he wondered what the hell he did!

"Think you got me pinned down huh?" he questioned with a teasing tone before he tried rolling over and, to his own surprise, did manage to move her.

He quickly pinned her hands like she had pinned his and used his strength to hold her there.

"I am _not_ going to let you win you bimbo-searching playboy!" she snapped at him and he felt his whole body tense with shock.

He jerked his head back in confusion as he let go of a, "What?"

"You heard me!" she growled, squirming under him in attempt to break free.

"What are you talking about?" he made his best effort to keep her pinned, keep her from fleeing from him and his question.

"Oh you know! You damn well know what I'm talking about," she snapped. "You come here to impress every walking bimbo you can find."

He shook his head in shock, where the hell would she get that from? Without really meaning to he had weakened his grip on her hands and it didn't take long before she took advantage of it and pushed him off her. The difference being she didn't follow to pin him down again but crawled away from him to put distance between their bodies. He immediately missed the press of her body against his and again he could not believe she thought he was there for any other woman than her. He saw she started peeling off the tape from her hands and he wondered if that meant they were done sparring.

"I don't come here to impress anyone," he said, panting after their session.

How could she not be more out of breath?

"Yeah right," she huffed and when she raised to stand so did he.

"Okay, maybe I am, but not _them_ ," he said and even though he couldn't see it he imagined her rolling her eyes like she always did. Her body language told him she was about to step away from him and so he quickly strode over to her and grabbed her hand to pull her back. "I am here to impress _you_ , to be strong enough to protect _you,_ as _your_ partner."

She turned towards him with wide eyes and she was about to pull her hand back but he held onto her. She yanked once more which only resulted in him pulling her back a little too harsh, a little too surprising, knocking her body into hers as they fell backwards onto the mat again.

"Fuck," he grunted when he landed, his breath went out of his lungs.

"Let go of me," she muttered but he only rolled them over again.

"No, not until we talk, you always hide, don't hide," he said with a small plea in his voice.

"I don't."

She squirmed again, and he had to bite his tongue to not groan at how her body was moving against his. He lifted his body a little, creating space between them.

"I am not here to pick up bimbos, I'm not at all interested in them," he told her, trying to get contact with her eyes but she kept looking away.

"Don't try to deny it, I saw you talking to that blonde earlier," she muttered, her body finally going limp under him in surrender.

Rick groaned in irritation, "I just helped her with a machine, and I made it clear I was only helping her with that. She might've been flirting with me but I was nowhere close to flirting with her." Her hazel green eyes finally met his blue and he swear he could drown in them if she'd let him. "Like I said, I'm only here to impress you," he said, tired of dancing around his feelings.

"Why would you wanna impress me?" she questioned, her voice filled with doubt.

He sighed, didn't she know already? "Why do you think Kate?" he asked instead of answering her, seeing his mention of her first name had her jerking back with widened eyes. He never used her first name unless it was something deeper, and he knew that she knew that.

"Kiss me."

Her request was so quiet he could just barely hear it, but he didn't waste another second, didn't want to give her a chance to take it back. Carefully he bent down to let his lips carefully nudge hers, it barely could be considered a kiss. He felt her lips pout up into his and that was the only encouragement he needed to press his harder against hers. He sucked in her lower lip between his in order to suckle on it, making her moan in the process. Her moan had his body immediately finding its way back down to hers, his body as attracted to her body as his mind was to hers. He nipped on her lip before releasing it and to both his surprise and excitement it resulted in her grinding herself against him.

"Oh god," she panted, biting her lip.

Rick couldn't other than agree, kissing her lips felt addicting. Like heroin, or maybe chocolate. He could kiss her all day, every day, if she'd let him. As she opened her eyes he could see they had darkened a bit since they were opened last, and she looked into his as if she was looking for something. He wondered if she found whatever that was because next thing he knew he was on his back with her on top of him and her lips on his again. Their lips were smudged together and he was kind of already in love with how great her body felt pressed into his. Rick let his hands land on her back, slowly roaming down until he could cup her ass. He placed his thigh between her legs, trying to give her the friction he could feel her whole body craved from the way her tongue sneaked past his lips in their hot kiss. The taste of her had him moaning, the stroke of her tongue against his was intoxicating. How had he not kissed her sooner? How had he not just grabbed her and kissed her? She suddenly pulled away in order to breathe and put her panting lips right next to his ear.

"See, I win," she said in a matter-of-fact voice, breathing heavily against his ear.

Rick grunted, _yeah right_ , and he sneakily moved his left hand from her ass to bring up her leg so he could hook his hand through it. He noticed, the way her leg didn't restraint, that she was a lot more flexible than he had first had in mind. It didn't take much effort for him to push her over and keep her leg held high as he landed between her open legs. She gasped and he took advantage of her open mouth by immediately attacking it with his own. The reaction he got was far more satisfying than the fact that he once again managed to push her over. She was moaning and the way they sipped at each other's mouths was way hotter than he could've ever imagined, and _oh_ _had_ _he imagined_. He fit between her legs beautifully and her yoga pants were not helping the tightness in his own. He trailed his lips down her lips, her jaw and down to her neck, sucking her pulse only to feel how it increased in pulsing with each second.

"We should get... ah... out of here," she moaned and he felt her moving her center into his hardened one.

He groaned, how could she even think straight while their bodies were moving like that? But she was right, they couldn't continue there, in a gym, where anyone could walk in on them. Though the thought gave him a thrill he knew she would kill him if someone caught them like this. He stopped his kisses, laid his head in her neck and put his hands on her hips in order to stop them from moving. If they were going to be able to get out of there to continue elsewhere he needed to cool down enough to walk out of there first. He breathed heavily in her neck, and he could feel the shiver going down her spine. After a minute's calm down he was quickly on his feet and grabbed her arm, pulling her up with him. He could tell she wasn't ready for it because her body almost tripped him over again with the force he pulled her up with. He took the opportunity of her mouth getting so close to his, kissing her once again.

"Come on," he mumbled, both very hesitant to let go of the other's lips.

They quickly assembled their things and got out of there, finding a cab to take them away from there.

* * *

Kate was quick to give her address to the cab-driver, not wanting his mother nor daughter to interrupt them if they decided to go to his place. She was way too turned on to not get to feel him now. They had both struggles during the drive, his hand landed on her thigh, thumb making circles on the inside to drive her insane. She tried her best not to let it get to her but she knew he could hear the way her breath hitched, and he could definitely feel the way she clenched her thighs against his hand. The second the cab stopped he pulled out the money to pay, saying the driver could keep the change as he pulled her with him out of the car. He pretty much attacked her in the elevator, pushing his body closer to hers as her back landed against the wall and his lips caught hers in a hot kiss. If the tingles in her lips were any indication she had a feeling she was already addicted to his lips' touch. When he sucked in her bottom lip she arched her body to push her chest closer to his as she moaned at the sudden pleasure. She was relieved to hear the ding from the elevator and she stumbled forward, pushing him in front of her as she set her footsteps towards her apartment. They only parted for the few seconds it took for her to scramble with the keys and unlock her door. Inside he managed to maneuver her and closing the door with her body, his lips connecting to her neck, sucking her skin and she could swear he was aware of the hickey he was going to leave there. She didn't care though, it felt too good to care. Her fingers sneaked into his hair, holding him close as to make sure he understood how amazing it was and how much she wanted it. To her surprise his lips slowly moved kisses down her neck to her collarbone, his hand sneaking inside her training shirt, his fingers heating up her skin in a way no one had before.

"C-Castle," she gasped when his hand cupped her bra covered breast.

He let go only to grab the hem of her shirt and start pulling it up, she immediately put her arms up to help him get it off. The second he threw it on the ground she felt his lips back on her collarbone, kissing down to her breast, and his fingers smoothly went to her back, unclasping her bra. A shiver went down her spine at the touch of his fingertips against her back, she shrugged off her bra and let go of a whimpering sound when his lips attached to her nipple, rounding it with his tongue as he started sucking on it as if it was his favorite lollipop. Her back arched at his demonstrations and she wanted him, _needed_ him. She reached down in order to start unbuttoning his pants but before she could get any far his hands grabbed hers and pinned them beside her head, continuing his assault on her other nipple.

"Castle, please," she pleaded, _hated_ that he got her begging but _damn_ he felt so good.

She felt him chuckle against her and the vibrations only highlighted the feel of his lips around her breast. The sounds coming out her mouth were sinful, sounds she wouldn't normally allow coming out. But it was like his actions had her crossing every line she'd set up for herself. His lips suddenly lost contact with her breast and she shuddered when they reattached down her stomach, his tongue carefully dipping into her belly button as he finally let go of her hands in order to pull off her pants. She stepped out of them at the same time as she once again went for his, unzipping his pants to set his hard member free from the confines of his pants and boxers. Before she could reach for him he crashed his lips on hers and lifted her leg up around his hip, her moan sealed against his lips when she felt him at her center. He was teasing her, not moving to her entrance but creating friction between her thighs by grinding his hips against hers.

"Stop teasing," she muttered against his lips and pulled in his lower lip in her mouth to nip on it.

When there was a small sound coming out of his throat she couldn't stop herself from biting a little harder and to her satisfaction it resulted in him groaning and thrusting his body closer to hers. He reached between them and placed himself at her entrance, pulling away from her lips and she looked up at him to see he was searching for her eyes. When ocean blue met hazel green it was like they were connected on a whole new level, a level they hadn't been on before. They held their eye contact as he started slowly push inside her, their foreheads fell towards each other as they both let out wavy breaths. Kate couldn't believe she hadn't let go before, why hadn't she crossed the line earlier? When he was all the way in he stilled to let her adjust to his size, and she leaned in closer to seal her lips to his again. As soon as she was ready she started moving her hips to urge him on and it didn't take more than one second before he started thrusting in and out of her, making her moan louder than she had earlier. Together they found a rhythm that had them both moaning and gasping and their teeth clasped together a little now and then as they tried to keep making out even through their heavy breathing. Her apartment was filled with the sounds of their skin slopping against each other and the sounds coming out their mouths. She could feel herself getting close and somehow she knew he was just as close as she was, and when he reached down between them to rub her clit she let go of a small scream. He came inside her and they rode out their high together. Her legs gave up on her, good thing she was trapped between the door and his body or else she would've fallen to the floor and taken him with her.

"That was..." he panted out through parted lips.

"Yeah," she only agreed, their breaths mixing between them as their foreheads kept in contact.

Kate held on to him, her arms around his neck with her fingers in the nape of his hair, fiddling with the short strays he had there. They were silent for a while, both trying to regain their breaths. After a few minutes his hands landed on her hips, holding on to her as he pulled out to make sure she didn't fall. She immediately missed the feeling of him filling her up but at the same time she had a feeling there was no way they wouldn't redo what they just did. She put down her leg from his hip, being careful when her foot touched her floor. _When had her heel fallen off?_ She licked her lower lip, still tingling after his kisses, beginning to swell at the intensity.

"I go to the gym to impress _you,_ because I want to be more than your partner, Kate," Rick suddenly whispered, his hot breath showering her face. "And now I don't think I can let you go, loose you. It wasn't supposed to happen this way, I wanted to ask you out first, have a nice dinner, then maybe, _maybe_ , follow you up here, if you'd let me."

Kate was surprised by his sudden statement, his sudden choice to tell her why he went to the gym, and how it hadn't been his intention to get into her pants so fast. _God, she really was a lost soul when it came to him_. She normally wasn't this quick to have sex with someone, but then again they _had_ had a lot of tension between them ever since they met one and a half years ago. His way might be words, but hers was action and so she only looked into his eyes to let him see her through before she leant forward and gently touched his lips with hers in a smooth kiss. When they parted their lips again her lips drew up in a smile.

"Okay," she said and he looked at her with narrowed eyes.

"Okay what?"

"Okay, I'll go out with you," she said and he started grinning. " _But_ ," she added with emphasis on the word and his grin stopped with a small fear appearing in his eyes, "I feel kind of gross right now and I wouldn't mind a bath, you wanna join me?"

The grin on his lips were back to full strength while a naughty look came into his eyes. She bit her lip, trying in vain to stop her smirk.

"What do you think?" he answered before his arms sneaked to her back to pull her flush against him.

She giggled as she stood on her toes to kiss his lips passionately before tugging his shirt and walking away from him.

"You gotta loose the shirt first, then meet me in the bathroom," she winked at him and saw the immediate reaction she had on his body.

Before she knew it he had chased after her into the bathroom where they shared their very first bath together in a way only lovers were allowed.

* * *

 _The End_


	32. Chapter 32 - A different step around

_Prompt: What if the thing with Caskett never happened in always and Caskett just as planned watched the movies at Castle's. Like the murder wasn't connected to her mom and they just went to go watch movies together as planned_.

* * *

"Of course you don't understand why she's taking her graduation speech so seriously. You were probably the guy who had nothing on but boxers underneath his gown," Kate Beckett commented her partners comment about his daughter worrying for the speech she was writing.

"That is so insulting!" Rick Castle said with a high pitched tone, as if he was truly hurt by her words." If you must know," he added, hurt all gone, "I was naked underneath."

Kate chuckled at that, _of course he was_. "Oh, I'm sorry. I stand corrected," she rolled her eyes. Starting to think about it she wasn't exactly able to hear what he really felt about his girl growing up. She knew he had troubles letting her go in the past so, not being able to hear his thoughts about it kind of made her worried. "So how is the father of the graduate taking it?"

"I already have a plan to drown my sorrows," he said and explained his plans. "After the ceremony, my mother goes off to the Hamptons, Alexis will be doing her all-nighter. I will be distracting myself with a double feature of _The Killer_ and _Hard Boiled_."

Kate was watching him during his whole explanation until she could see he was about to glance at her, not wanting to get caught staring she looked forward towards their destination.

"Wow. That is a double feature," she said, just a little impressed by his choice of movies.

She felt his gaze land on her as he asked her, somewhat surprised, "You like John Woo?"

Kate couldn't stop the small smile from spreading her lips as she gave her answer, "The bloodier the better."

She felt him stop as she continued to walk just a few feet only to turn around to look at his stopped figure.

"You wouldn't want to join me, would you?" he asked and she felt her heart skip a beat at his invitation.

"Actually, I'd love to," she accepted with a low, much gentler voice than she usually has. She could see the shock enter his eyes along with a happiness she haven't seen in a long time. She turned around to continue the walk towards their crime scene, being able to mask her smile from him by having her back to him. To her surprise she could sense he was still standing still and so she stopped to turn back just enough to give him a small glance, "You coming, Castle?"

He looked a bit startled by her question but reacted immediately with a "Yeah." And so they went to their crime scene, both of them with just a few more butterflies in their bellies as they started the investigation with their minds set on the night they had in their close future. If they were lucky the case would be an easy one.

* * *

Kate didn't go to Alexis' graduation even after Castle said she could. He had told her Alexis had invited her but Kate couldn't intrude like that, it was a family thing and she felt like they should enjoy it for the few minutes they could before the three Castle's split ways for the night. Of course Kate had thanked for the invitation, grateful for it even, but she'd told him she really thought the three of them should go through it without her there to disturb them. He had pretty much made her pinky promise she wouldn't bail on the movie-night, made her promise she would get there as soon as she could after he texted her about being home from the graduation. And when she got his text her lips pulled up in a big smile as she bit her lower lip to try and keep it down.

 _I'm home, I've ordered some Chinese and it'll be here in twenty minutes, same as you if you leave now. /C_

She shook her head, they had _not_ agreed on dinner, only movies, but somehow she couldn't help but feel grateful for his thought. Not having eaten since she got home and that only have been a small snack she knew she needed food, and her belly agreed with her loud and clear. Grabbing her jacket before she headed out she hoped she wasn't too casually dressed in her jeans and blue blouse. When she got in the cab she took up her phone to send she was on her way, feeling butterflies in her belly because she couldn't quite grasp that she was on her way to his place for a movie night. A movie night that could be considered a date and this was the first time she would be able to actually get a grip on where they were heading. He'd for some reason pulled a way only a couple weeks ago, with no explanation, and she wondered if it had been her fault somehow. Maybe she expected too much of him, expected him to wait for her no matter how long it took for her to be better, and maybe that was wrong of her. She had yet to return the words he'd let go of almost a year prior, and even though she wasn't sure she was ready she couldn't wait for too long. She knew that now, Burke had helped her get her eyes open to that. If she made him wait for too long maybe he would give up, he'd waited long enough. Hell, he'd followed her for four years! If that wasn't dedication she didn't know what was. He hadn't given up on her when she tried to push him away, he didn't let her hide away. He gave her the space she needed during that sniper-case, but he was still right there whenever she needed him, always close by. Just like he had been even when she hadn't seen him, constantly helping the boys with trying to find her shooter, despite her telling him off. _Why had she turned him down?_ She had regretted that decision for so long. It would've been so much easier to recover with him by her side, motivating her, making her smile like he always did no matter her mood.

"Miss? We're here," the cab-driver interrupted her thoughts and she immediately paid and thanked for the ride.

That decision was in the past, there was nothing she could do about that now. _However_ there was something she could do about the now, she could decide to let go and just see where the evening would go. Open up herself to him and let him see her, let him see exactly what she felt at all times through her eyes. She felt her heart beat faster when she reached his door, taking a deep breath to calm her nerves before she knocked. She hadn't been this nervous since her first date in her teens and she wondered why those nerves had returned _now_.

"Hey! Just in time!" Castle said as he opened the door with a great smile, immediately bringing out her own. "The food just got here."

"Hi," Kate said and felt her cheeks get a little warmer as she quickly met his blue eyes before her own landed on the floor.

He opened the door a little further and she easily walked into his home, just like she had many times before. Only this time she knew it was different, she knew it could end in two ways and hopefully it wouldn't be with a broken heart.

"So, I've prepared the movies and I don't know do you want to eat first or eat while we watch?" he asked as he walked towards the kitchen island as she quickly took off her jacket and shoes before following him.

"Uh, I think maybe we should eat first, then we can focus on the movies and popcorn later," she suggested and he immediately agreed.

He opened the plastic bag and handed her one of the two boxes inside it, the box consisting of her favorite Chinese food because _of course_ he knew which was her favorite.

"Mm, this smells so good," she moaned as she opened the heavenly food.

They stood at the counter as they ate their dinner, at first in silent but after a few bites Kate observed as Castle opened his mouth with a wrinkle in his forehead, as if he was trying to figure out how to say something.

"You know, I didn't think you would come," he confessed, only glancing up at her once quick before turning back his gaze on the food in his box.

"Why not?" she asked as casually as she could.

She was looking at him through her lashes, trying to make sure he didn't notice her observing him. She noticed he swallowed a bit harder and she wondered if he would even give her an answer.

"Well, it's not like we usually hang out outside of the cases," he said with a shrug.

"Sure we do, we've eaten at Remy's a couple times, been at the Old Haunt," she countered.

"That's not the same," he mumbled and she wondered if she was supposed to hear it.

Her belly skipped with butterflies because did he mean this _was_ a date? A movie date? Was that how he saw it? She hoped it was, because she wanted it to be. They ate up their food and since Kate didn't know how to work the projector at his loft he gave her the mission to make popcorn as he set up the first movie on their list. She stole a few popcorns as she walked to the couch where Castle was already waiting for her and she held out the bowl for him to take a few too before she sat down beside him, making sure the distance between them weren't too close but not too far away either.

"You ready?" Castle asked and smirked at her.

She only smirked back replying, "Oh, I am so ready for some blood," with a chuckle. Turning to the screen she could feel his eyes on her even as he started the movie.

Castle was surprised by how comfortable she seemed. Like, she was literally sitting back in his couch as if it were the most common place for her to sit in even though it was _months_ since she sat there last. Suddenly she turned her head slightly to give him a questioning look, a small smile on her lips, and he just shook his head before turning back to the screen, his cheeks blushing at being caught looking at her. He was surprised to see her laughing at some of the bloody scenes, no other woman had ever done that before. If he was honest no other woman he'd been with had gotten through the first bloody scene in the movie, immediately saying they needed to turn it off if she was going to stay. But Kate Beckett was different. A fact he'd known from the first time he saw her, when she had shown him her badge instead of insinuating she wanted him to sign something, a fact that had been confirmed over and over again during the years of watching her. She was special. And _god he hoped she would feel the same about him one day_. Wasn't sure he'd survive if she wouldn't.

"I had forgotten how good these were," the woman beside him said and when he looked at her he saw her lips up in a wide smile and she reached for the popcorn.

"I take it was a long time ago since you did a rewatch then?" he chuckled and she nodded.

"It's not the same watching them alone, and Lanie isn't exactly into them."

He couldn't help but chuckle a little harder at that. No, he could see Lanie not being the one to jump at the idea of watching them. Then again he'd never figure Kate would either, yet another mystery he got to solve about her. They sat quiet during the rest of the movie, only talking when commenting or reacting to the movie, and soon Castle was on his feet to put in the second one. It wasn't until he sat down again that he realized she had put the bowl of popcorn on the table and moved closer to where he had been seated. Which meant she was sitting closer to him than earlier when he sat down again. He wondered if she had been aware of her move, if it had been intentional or if she would move away more now when she realized it. Surprisingly she stayed put, even after he had played the movie, thinking maybe she would pretend to change positions with her legs in order to move away, but she didn't.

Kate bit her lip, feeling her heart racing a bit faster than usual. She was mentally proud of herself for moving closer to him, leaving almost no gap between their legs from touching. Proud that she didn't move away when she felt fear settle in, she wanted this but she was still afraid of it. When she felt his body relax, felt him relaxing at her closeness, she waited another five minutes before she leaned her body the last inches to let their shoulders touch. His head snapped towards her but she tried to ignore it, knowing that if she so much as glanced at him and got eye contact she would chicken out. After a few seconds she felt him starting to pull away and she felt her heart stop, _did he not want this anymore?_ But before she could apologize and say she needed to go she felt his torso come in contact with her again and his arm landed around her shoulders in a very, _very_ , light way, as if he wasn't completely sure she wouldn't bite his arm off. Feeling her heart beat faster again she couldn't help but grin as she let her head fall on his shoulder, automatically snuggling closer to him. She could hear him holding his breath, and she wondered if this was as thrilling to him as it was to her. Not daring to do more she stayed like that, feeling his arm grow heavier and more comfortable in its place the longer they sat there. As the movie continued on they sat quiet, not commenting anything in fear of disturbing the comfortable bubble they'd created. Kate couldn't believe how good it felt with his body so close to hers, her eyes falling shut. It had been so long ago she'd felt comfortable enough to sleep without the fear of nightmares keeping her awake, and _god_ it felt so _safe_ in his arms. His calming scent invaded her senses and she wondered how someone could smell so good, wondered if she would be able to steal a shirt of his after this. She felt her breath get heavier, every breath becoming deeper and deeper. It didn't really surprise her but she felt a joy fill her body, warm her up, when she felt his lips in her hair, giving her a gentle, almost too light to feel, kiss.

Castle couldn't believe his eyes. She'd fallen asleep in his arms, _in his arms!_ And he hesitated but let himself carefully kiss the top of her head, trying his best not to wake her up. He stopped watching the movie then, his eyes strictly on her, not being able to keep his eyes off her for one second. He even moved a little, careful not to wake her, in order to see her face. She looked so peaceful, he'd never seen her so at peace before. All the worry and sadness gone from her beautiful features. He got an itchy feeling in his fingers, wanting to touch, but he focused all his strength not to. There was no way he was going to wake her up, what if she'd pull away? He would rather go to hell than risk not having her in his arms.

"Castle," his body tensed at her breath, thinking she'd caught him staring, but quickly realizing she was still asleep

 _Did she talk in her sleep?_ He wondered if that was a normal thing for her, or if it was just a one time thing. He wondered if he would ever find out. Her body snuggled closer to his, her hand suddenly landing on the inside of his thigh, between his legs. He couldn't help but breathe a little harder. Good thing it hadn't landed a little bit higher, then he didn't know what he'd do. It didn't go up for him how long he was watching her until the credits of the movie started rolling, he had probably been watching for a little more than an hour. _What a creep_. He promised himself he would never, _ever_ , let her know. If she knew he had been staring at her for an hour straight she would most likely kill him. Sighing, he knew he had to wake her up, he didn't want to but... it was the right thing to do. He couldn't let her sleep there, it would give her neck pain to wake up to and he didn't want that either. She needed her bed, needed to sleep in a comfortable bed and not against his shoulder in a couch. He had fallen asleep in the couch too many times to know that even if it was comfortable it could also give quite some pain in both the neck and the back if one had the wrong position.

"Kate?" he whispered softly in her ear, knowing the intimacy was too much but there was no way he wouldn't take the chance. This might be the only time he would ever get to be this close to her. "Kate, time to wake up."

"Hmmmm?" she hummed sleepily as she was drawn out by his voice.

Kate felt his breath close to her, his whisper filling her head with his wonderful voice. She slowly felt something in her hand and she squeezed automatically, hearing him gasp when she did. She felt his hand land on hers, bending her fingers away from whatever she held on to. Blinking her eyes open she saw his hand move hers away from his leg and she realized that's where her hand had been. _Oh._

"It's getting late," _and even though I don't want to say this_ , "you should get home, if you sleep on the couch there's gonna be pain, trust me." He chuckled small, trying to ignore the feeling her hand had evoked.

She sighed. She didn't want to leave, not his loft and certainly not his comfy arms. She had probably not slept for long but she had already slept better than she had for almost a year.

"Can't I just stay here, I don't care about back pain," she mumbled, still half awake, half asleep.

His shoulder shook a little under her and it didn't take any effort to understand he was chuckling.

"If I let you stay here you're gonna kill me in the morning," he said but she could feel his arm tighten around her, bringing her body closer to his.

He wanted her to leave as much as she wanted to, not at all. Without thinking, _because really, who can think clearly when they're still half asleep?_ , she opened her mouth, mumbling the only response her tired brain could work out. "I can always sleep with you." He coughed and if she didn't hear wrong it almost sounded like he had swallowed something wrong, but as far as she knew he hadn't touched any popcorn or anything else that could get stuck in his throat. "You ok?" she asked, her concern startling her into full awareness.

"Yeah," he coughed, "just... swallowed wrong."

She wrinkled her forehead and looked up at him, "Swallowed _what_ wrong? Did you eat more popcorn?"

He shook his head and she could see his cheeks flush, "No, I-uh, I swallowed saliva wrong, I guess."

She could see he was serious but she still couldn't stop the small chuckle from leaving her lips. "That's not a smart move, was it?" she teased and he rolled his eyes.

 _He_ rolled _his_ eyes. Like _she_ does. She felt the butterflies come alive in her belly.

"I mean it though, you shouldn't sleep on a couch," he insisted and she bit her lower lip in order to try and calm her nerves.

"Well, if you don't want me to stay I can go, I don't want to overstay my visit," she said, trying to see if he would react as she hoped.

"Oh no! I don't want... I mean, you are most definitely welcome to stay, you always have a home here," he only breathed the last part and she just managed to control her features enough not to grin big. "If you want to I do have a guest room, it's not ready though, didn't expect you to fall asleep on me," he trembled a little with his words and she noticed he still held her hand when his thumb suddenly started tracing small circles over her knuckles.

At first she thought he did it on purpose but seeing as his expression was the same as before she started wondering if he was even aware of it. _She_ was aware of it, her hand starting to tingle wherever his thumb met her skin. She decided to take a chance, risk it, after all that was what she had decided when coming here.

"I'm too tired to fix anything and I'm sure you are too, and even if you aren't I'm not going to force you to fix it for me, so if you're not totally against it I could... we could... share," her cheeks were _burning_ , how could it make her so embarrassed to ask to share a bed?! It's not like she haven't before! _Oh god_. "Your bed."

His eyes shot up rocket-high at her suggestion, shock written all over his face and she had to look away because _damn_ _her face was burning_. She wondered how red she was and how much he could tell she wanted this, how much she wanted to stay with him. She didn't want to leave, she didn't want to leave his body for goodness sake! It felt so good finally being so close to him, finally taking down her walls.

"Y-Yo...you want to share my bed? With me?" he stumbled and she could feel his whole body stiffen with the shock.

"No, with the raccoon, of course with you," Kate tried to hide her insecurities in the small tease, because what if he didn't want to share a bed with her? What would she do then?

"Uh-sure, I mean, are you sure? It's not the sleep talking?"

His voice was filled with insecurity, dis _trust_? He didn't trust she meant it? "I mean it Rick, let's share the bed, let's go to sleep, I'm tired and I'm sure you are too after the emotional ceremony earlier," she said, slowly moving out of his arm in order to stand up.

She dragged him up on his feet by the hand she still had clasped in hers, not letting go because she was afraid to lose contact. Standing she looked up in his eyes, his blue eyes, and for the first time she actually appreciated the height-difference. In the beginning she had _loathed_ it, it was another thing he had an advantage over other than being friends with the mayor and nestling himself into her life, but now? She couldn't help but love it, love the way he was looking down into her eyes. Their eyes had locked, for the thousandth of time, and hers wandered his like his did hers. It was like they were reading each other's thoughts, like they were reading a book. Kate tried to show him everything, tried to let him in closer than he'd ever been before. Without warning he broke the eye contact in order to shut off the projector and then took advantage of her hand still holding his to tug her with him as he set steps to his bedroom, one of the rooms she'd never seen before. After he lend her a shirt and some shorts to sleep in, and taking turns in the bathroom, they crawled down in the bed together. She fell asleep after snuggling closer to his body again, taking the opportunity to whisper out a confession before letting the, for once, beautiful and peaceful darkness overtake her.

"I love you too."

* * *

 _To be continued..._


	33. Chapter 33 - A different step around2

_Continuation of last one shot. M-rated._

* * *

Kate awoke with hot cheeks, burning after the dream she'd had. _Gosh, those dreams needed to stop!_ If they didn't she might kill herself! She couldn't take it anymore, couldn't survive dreaming those steamy things about him because... _what if they would never come true_?! As she tried to get her breathing back to normal it suddenly dawned on her it was his scent filling her nostrils. And as _that_ realization hit her she could also feel the arm laid around her with the body pressed tightly behind her. _No wonder she had dream_ _t_ _about him!_ They were sleeping in the same bed! After a movie night which could've been considered a date, at least she hoped it could.

"You okay?" his raspy voice had her jerking in surprise. She had no idea he was awake. "Did you have a bad dream?" he asked and she shivered at the way his breath tickled her neck, he was way closer than she had originally thought.

"Eh, not exactly," she breathed out, still trying to calm down but with his arm just around her, low on her belly, she didn't know if she could calm the heat inside her.

"Hmm, okay, good," he hummed and she felt his nose sneak into her hair, taking a deep breath, sending yet another electric shock down her spine.

Biting her lower lip she took yet another bold decision, because after last night and the way he was hugging her body she knew he wanted this just as much as she did. Besides, she _had_ determined she would risk it all the day before, make sure he knew exactly what she felt the whole time. So, after taking a quick, quiet, deep breath she opened her mouth.

"Actually, it was quite a... heated... dream," she said, already feeling her pulse going up again by only thinking about it. It didn't take her detective skills to feel his reaction to her choice of word. "We, uhm, we didn't exactly fall asleep even though we went to bed." She didn't want to say too much, didn't want it to backfire on her. To her satisfaction she could hear him swallow hard and she couldn't stop the smirk from pulling her lips.

"W-w-we?" he got out after a couple of tries.

"Yeah. The only thing separating this one from my other dreams was me finally knowing what your bedroom looks like, and what your bed feels like," she kept going and she felt him pull away a little, creating space between her butt and his crotch.

Hearing his breathing pick up a notch made her braver, she slowly turned under his arm and looked at him only to see he was clenching his eyes shut. The second she stopped moving he opened them and she saw his normally shining blue eyes had turned into a darker shade, one she'd noticed he had given her a couple times during the years, especially during undercover when she had to put on her sexy side.

He gulped before he rasped out, "Other... dreams?"

It turned her on more hearing his raspy voice and seeing that look he was giving her. She noticed his eyes dart down to her lips the second she slowly sunk her teeth into the lower one. His arm felt hot laying still on her belly and when she reached for his hand his eyes quickly found hers. Holding his gaze she moved his hand to the hem of the shirt he lend her in order to sneak his hand under it, his fingers getting in contact with her naked skin. That seemed to evoke something in him because all of a sudden his face came crashing down and his lips landed on hers in a frantic kiss. She moaned at the sensation it gave her for finally feeling his lips on hers, and it took about two seconds before they simultaneously parted their lips to taste one another. His fingers didn't need her encouraging anymore, but smoothed their own way up under her shirt to slowly start circling her right nipple. She gasped when he pinched carefully, sending a wave of pleasured pain down her body, and she could feel her nipples harden more. He took the advantage of her reaction to roam his tongue in her mouth, as if he was trying to map out every detail he could find. Her hand found its way around his neck, her fingers immediately finding their way into his hair, which was a lot softer than she'd imagined. When she had to pull away for air she immediately missed his lips, the way they had felt so incredibly _right_ against hers, but wasn't disappointed as she felt them connect to her neck instead.

"Oh god," she panted through her lips as his hand massaged her breast. Without much warning his tongue left a wet trail from her pulse down to her collarbone, which was exposed due to the big shirt he'd loaned her, and when he blowed on it her whole body shivered as she let out a whimpering sound. She had no idea that small detail could feel so... _electrifying_. Her hands started going down to the hem of his shirt, tugging it upwards and missed his face so close to hers the few seconds it took for them to pull it completely off his body. When the shirt was out of the way blue eyes met hazel green, and Kate could see he was trying to wrap his head around what was happening, what they were doing and what it meant. She wondered if he'd heard her before she fell asleep, or if it had been too quiet for him to hear. Or perhaps she had only dreamt it.

The heat was nowhere close to gone but both of them slowed down, he pulled out his hand from under her shirt and put a small but visible distance between them as he still hovered above her. She held his gaze and arched her back in a few ways that allowed her to pull his shirt off of her, exposing her naked upper body. She could see his eyes slightly widen, but they stayed right on hers, not glimpsing down even once as he seemed to keep searching in hers for answers to questions she couldn't decipher. She broke their eye contact to be able to find his hand with hers, the second she held it she looked up again to keep his gaze, and gently she placed his hand over her heart, her scar. The scar which had been created the same day he'd said those three words, the day she had realized she wanted him. The scar which she had refused to show anybody else, because she wanted him to be the first. The scar which had always been a cold spot no matter how warm she was, but not now because somehow _his touch_ filled it with _warmth_. She was sure he could feel her racing heartbeat underneath his hand, because the way her heart was beating there was _no way_ it wasn't hard enough for him to feel through her chest.

"I love you," she breathed out, not loud enough to be considered a whisper, because even if she was sure he still felt the same way she was still scared he didn't. And scared he _did_.

His eyes widened at her confession, surprise in those blues, but in a split of a second his face was turned into a big grin and his eyes were filled with a happiness she hadn't seen before. She couldn't help but feel shy, feel her cheeks turn more red than they already were from the heat.

"I love you too," he said before he bent down and kissed her lips again, more sensual now than before, more emotion embedded in his movements.

She kissed him back with as much emotion as she could, feeling the need to show him exactly what she meant by those three words. Letting go of his hand she felt it wander again, this time south on her belly, his fingers tickling her in the best way before they landed on the shorts he'd given her the night before. She moaned in encouragement and that was all he needed before he slipped his hand under, sneaking his fingers into her panties and _oh god_ she couldn't stop a gasp from slipping past her lips when she felt him glide up and down her core.

"Fuck you're so wet," he mumbled against her lips before he dove down, kissing his way to her neck and continued towards her naked chest.

He let his fingers work her up with circles on her clit as his tongue started laving at her nipple, licking and sucking and stealing her breath because _damn that felt so good_. He was quickly and easily turning her into a moaning mess and she wondered how long it would take for him before he would mock her for it. _But she couldn't stop it!_ The things he was making her feel and without warning he was gone only to hook his fingers in the shorts and her panties, pulling them off her long legs. She looked down and propped up on her elbows to get a glance on him, get eye contact with him, and for a split second she wondered why he wasn't coming back up. Keeping her gaze with his, he lowered his head in order to plant his lips on her legs, painting her skin with tingles after the kisses he feathered on her as he moved his way up to the v of her legs. He gave her inner thighs some attention, having her breathe heavily as his tongue came in contact with her naked skin. She closed her eyes in order to give into the feeling brought to her by his lips, so when his tongue all of a sudden licked up her wet core she fell down from her elbows, into the mattress, as she let go of a raspy scream. _Fuck_ , she was going to fall apart like she had never done before. She couldn't recall _any_ of her past boyfriends being able to bring her so close as he had done in mere minutes. When she felt two of his fingers slide inside her without warning she fell over, an explosion of white bliss drawing moans from her mouth as she clench her fingers around the sheets. He didn't stop, let her ride out her orgasm with his tongue and fingers still moving inside her. She couldn't take it anymore, letting go of the sheet she trembled her fingers into his hair and tugged him up. He let his lips trace her skin before they could reach hers. She could taste the remains of herself as she slid her tongue into the hot cavern of his mouth, her hands skipped down to his pj-pants. With practiced moves she managed to remove them, along with his boxers, without their tongues ever stopping the dance that had started with their kiss. She started stroking his hardened length, eliciting a vibrating moan from deep within his chest.

"I won't last long if you keep that going," he groaned against her lips and wrapped his hand around her wrist to pull her away from him.

"Next time then," she grumbled back and an electricity went through her body when she felt him teasing her at her entrance, coating his length with her juices.

"Mhmm, I'll hold you to that," he rasped out as he pushed inside her.

She let out of a string of moaning curses as she felt him stroke every nerve inside her, sending shivers down her spine. Once he was fully inside her he waited for her to adjustto his size, holding her gaze to be able to read her thoughts. She wasn't hiding anymore and she knew he could see the love mixed with lust in her eyes. He started moving the second she nodded her head, having her let out a small scream at the pleasure of his length stroking her tight walls. He dove down to her chest, kissing her scar with love before he moved to her breast, latching on and sucking as if his life depended on it. It was all too much but it was all _so damn good._ Kate moaned and rolled her hips, meeting his thrusts as they became harder, and faster, as she so silently begged for with her mouth close to his ear. She knew he could feel when she was close again, and she was relieved to feel he was right there with her. His hand snooped down to rub her clit right before she came to push her over way higher than she thought she would go after already having one orgasm, but this one was different. Much more explosive and his lips landed on hers, drowning her screams as she could feel him spill inside her, filling her up with everything he had. They both continued to roll their hips, but gentler and slower for each second passing. When their rolling came to a stop his body was weighing her down and she found herself enjoying it. Actually, she welcomed it, letting her left arm hold around his back while her right found its way to his hair, tangling her fingers in his soft hair and massaging his scalp. He was still connected with her when he lifted his head just a little, laying his jaw atop her chest to look up at her.

"Is this a dream?" he whispered, his eyes telling her he didn't believe what had just happened. _Had she really been_ that _bad at letting her walls down?_ God, she wished she'd done a better job at showing him how he had slowly, yet strongly, torn her walls down every day, every second, for the past two years.

"No, it's real," she said in a sure voice, not wanting him to doubt anything that just happened. "And I do... I love you," she whispered the confession, louder than before but still it was a scary thing to let the words slip out in the open.

She saw his breath hitch before his lips turned up in a big genuine smile. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear that, how many times I've dreamt it," he confessed and she couldn't stop the sad smile from entering her face.

"I know," she lowered her gaze, not wanting to meet his. "I'm sorry it took so long."

He moved around, pulling out of her and she wondered if he would leave, but when he slumped down beside her only to put his arms around her body to pull her with him she sighed from relief. His lips touched the top of her head, and his arms held her tight towards him.

"You needed time," he simply mumbled, breathing in her cherry flavored scent.

"Yeah, but I should've told you that, shouldn't have lied," she sighed. "I don't know what you thought, I don't know why you pulled away and followed Slaughter but I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner, didn't show..."

"Hey," he whispered into her hair, shushing her with the gentle touch of his fingers on her naked back. "You're here now, you've told me now."

She let her hand land on his chest, fingers moving in slow circles as she put her lips on his naked skin with a kiss. "I don't deserve you," she muttered but before he could argue, like she knew he would, she added, "but you're here and I have a feeling I'm not getting rid of you no matter how screwed up I am. And I love you even more for it," she added with strength. He's the best thing that's ever happened to her and she would do her best to get rid of her fear of having her heart broken, because she also knew he had no intention of breaking it.

"Thought you said you weren't good with words," he teased and that brought a chuckle out of her lips. "And I know I'm supposed to be good but I'm speechless. I love you Kate, and I know there are things we should talk about but right now I just want you right here, with me." He hugged her closer and she felt her lips pull up in a grin as she snuggled her naked body as close to his as possible, linking her leg with his to get rid off any space possible.

Both of their breaths slowed down simultaneously, both falling into a pleasured slumber. After all it was only 7:30 in the morning and she had the day off.

* * *

Rick Castle woke up to an empty bed, his hand wandering for her by automatic but was met with the cold sheet in her place. His smile turned into a frown, he'd hoped she'd still be sleeping so he could wake her up the way he'd wanted to for a long time. He rubbed his face in a way to wake himself up before he sat up and decided to go look for her. Just as he stood up he heard small feet running through the loft.

"Daddyyy! Mommy made pancakes! Come on!" the small brunette called out with excitement as she ran into their room and quickly grabbed his hand, tugging hard.

Rick groaned with fake annoyance which only elicited a giggle and more tugging from his daughter as he slowly started following the girl through his office towards the kitchen.

"Come on, come on, come on!"

Walking into the living area and also in the sight of the kitchen his wife turned to him and their daughter with a big smile and a laughter on her lips.

"Lily, take it easy on your dad," she chuckled before meeting his eyes with her hazel greens.

His lips pulled up and as his daughter let go of his hand in order to attend to the pancakes set on the table, ready for her to eat, Rick didn't hesitate when he took longer strides to his wife, putting his hands on her hips to pull her closer to him. Her smile was bright and her eyes were shining with happiness as he bent down and took her lips with his, kissing her with all the love he felt for her.

"Hmm, this is nice," Kate hummed once their lips parted and pecked his lips again.

"Yeah, it is," he agreed and they pulled away to join their four-year-old daughter to eat breakfast.

He loved this. He loved the weekends they had together. Had loved them ever since she'd gotten pregnant and decided she wanted to spend time with her daughter as much as he did, keeping her promise of being there once they had a baby. And now she was pregnant again! He was so excited and couldn't wait to meet their second kid! She'd told him the night before and they had made love all night in celebration. She had been scared when she found out about Lily, at first shutting him out but eventually letting him in on her fears of being a bad mother. But this time, this time she was as thrilled as he was. After four years of being a mother she had finally let go of her fear, of course she was still scared of doing the wrong thing but now it was small things that was absolutely normal to freak about. Plus she was constantly telling him everything now, and he shared his own fears, telling her what he'd gone through with Alexis and what they could expect if Lily was anything like her but also being clear she might be the total opposite.

"Thanks for the pancakes!" Lily called out before she ran to the toys she kept in one of the corners of the living room and together the two parents took the dishes to the sink.

Kate started filling up the water while Rick was being his normal, annoying, affectionate self and wrapped his arms around her waist while putting his lips close to her ear, kissing that spot beneath it that always made her feel all giddy. He nipped on her flesh and smirked when he heard her small moan, most likely remembering the way his lips had touched her skin earlier that night.

"Castle, stop it!" she hissed when his hands traveled a little further down. "Our _daughter_ is right there," she whispered and he chuckled. "Not funny," she mumbled.

"A little bit funny. I mean knowing how I can still turn you on with the single nip of my mouth is kind of reassuring," he whispered in a seductive voice and he swore he could hear her curse under her breath.

"Just shut up, will you?" she muttered, but he could hear the constant smile in her voice.

"Why don't you make me?" he challenged and to his satisfaction she turned in his arms to push her lips onto his, kissing him fiercely.

They kissed with passion, love, but kept it light still. They had no intention of scaring their little girl already, and it didn't take long before they cut it off in order to continue their every-day-job. Cleaning the dishes together before they spent the rest of their day with their child.

Both happy they decided to have that movie night all those years ago, both happy their life had turned out like it had, and both extremely excited to see what will wait for them in the future.

* * *

 _The End._

 _A/N: heeey! Okay, so sorry this took time to publish but had some struggles so for some reason I couldn't add it to my doc manager... I announced this on my twitter but realized perhaps not many of you know it. So, my twitter is LololovaX and if you want to stay tuned every time something like this happens I suggest you follow me there. I also post these stories on Wattpad, which, since it struggled here, got this chapter earlier than you. Anyway, thanks for reading and I appreciate every single one of your reviews and favorites, thank you all so much! Have an amazing day, xx._


	34. Chapter 34 - Not your fault

_Set sometime after 4x19 ~47 Seconds. Inspired by the song Hold On by Chord Overstreet._

 _Warning for suicidal thoughts._

* * *

She couldn't take it anymore. She couldn't. He was avoiding her. Wasn't answering her calls, not her texts. He wasn't even coming to the precinct anymore.

Kate Beckett was starting to breathing faster, feeling her heart pumping faster, and even though she was breathing she felt like she couldn't get any air down her lungs. At first she had thought he really was busy writing like he said, but after two weeks of short answers and glares and another week of him completely ignoring her she knew he was done with her. Doctor Burke had suggested he was done waiting for her, tired of getting his heart torn apart by her. She had to stop. She couldn't keep hurting him. Because she had been hurting him for almost a year now and it was not okay. She should've just broken up with Josh all those months ago before her shooting, and even after that she should've just told him right back how she felt about him. She should've just...

"Oh god," she whispered with a raspy voice, her tears running nonstop down her cheeks.

She wiped her hands down her face, but she knew it was meaningless, pointless. She couldn't do this anymore. She grabbed her phone, her heart breaking as she phoned his number for the hundredth time that day, hoping he would answer and prove her wrong. Hoping he would answer and tell her to hold on. But as the signals went on and on, with no answer she was sobbing, walking into her bathroom and locking the door behind her.

"Hi! You've reached Richard Castle..." his voice sounded through the phone and she cried as she ended the call.

She couldn't. Not anymore. She was just a pain. She only hurt the ones she... the ones she loved. Opening the cabinet she took out the pills she's eyed so many times for the last weeks. It would be painless. At least that's what she hoped. Not as hanging or using her gun. She didn't have the balls to do that, even if she thought that was what she deserved. Her heart was pumping fast and god she didn't want to leave like this. But she didn't have the will any longer. She should've just stayed dead after the sniper. She shouldn't have survived. At least then Castle wouldn't be as hurt as he was now. She sat down on the cold floor, pills in one hand and phone in the other, her back leaning against the wall. She wanted to let him know, let him know she was sorry. He might've not answered when she called but she wanted him to know how much she loved him. Wanted him to know she was grateful for the time they had gotten. So, before she swallowed, before she ended her life, she sent the last thing she needed to say.

 _"Hey Castle. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Rick. I'm not going to hurt you anymore. I'll make sure of it. I love you, I always loved you. I'm sorry I couldn't be better. It's not your fault, you need to know that. I decided this, I just need you to know it's not your fault. I just can't anymore. Goodbye. - KB"_

* * *

Rick saw her name and photo appear on the phone. Again. Why couldn't she just _stop_? Wasn't he hurting enough? She didn't want him, so why did she bother calling him every five minute every day? He almost picked up this time, almost gave into his heart still beating for her, again. But he didn't. He couldn't switch it off like he had told his mother. Love really wasn't a switch. He downed another glass of scotch, trying so hard to forget his feelings. He jumped when his phone beeped, alarming him of a message. He furrowed his eyebrows. _Strange, she never sends anything anymore._ This time, he couldn't stop himself from looking at his phone, his heart skipping at the thought she had sent him something. But the skip soon turned into a crack and he flew out of his desk chair, running towards his door as his mother and daughter called after him. Distantly he thought he could hear their calls were something like "What happened" but he was in a hurry. With the elevator going too slow he leaped down the stairs, running through the lobby like a maniac as he tried to call her number.

"Damnit Kate," he growled as he tried getting a cab.

The second he was inside the yellow car he yelled out her address and threw too much money to the cab driver, shouting for him to go fast. Yelling it was life or death, because it might truly be. If he read into her text right it was. And if it was he would need help, he suddenly realized and suddenly he wasn't calling her number anymore.

"Espo! Call an ambulance, send it to Kate's! NOW! I'm on my way but I think she... just do it!" he screamed into the phone the second the latino answered.

He didn't even let him answer before he hung up again in order to call her again. Still no answer. The cab hadn't truly stopped once he opened the door and flew out. He was totally sober now, didn't matter that he had drunk a couple of glasses. If he was too late he would never forgive himself. He skipped several stairs as he ran up to her level. He started banging on her door, tried opening it but it was locked. He quickly located the spare key he knew where she hid.

 _"Just in case you ever need getting inside and I'm not home or for emergencies," she'd told him when she'd showed it to him. It had been after that bombing case, when her old apartment blew up._ God it had been easy back then.

He quickly unlocked the door and called out her name as he roamed the living room, the kitchen. He stopped to listen, but he didn't hear a sound and _where the hell is she?!_ He opened a door he presumed was to her bedroom, and even though he could see her bed she herself was nowhere to be found.

"Kate!? KATE!?" he shouted, looking around, listening.

Light. There was light under a door and _holy shit_ she was in the bathroom! He jerked for the door, but it wouldn't budge. He called her name again but when there was only silence greeting him he stood back and kicked the hardest he could, breaking the door down.

" _Fuck_ , Kate!" he cursed as he saw her body laying on the floor, lifeless. He ran to her and quickly swooped her head up in his arms. "No no no no no, Kate, hey, Kate? Come on Kate," he called out as he tried shaking her body a little.

That's when he noticed the pills right beside them, her phone. _Oh no._ "Kate, no don't you dare leave me like this! Hold on Kate," he said, "Come on Kate, Beckett, I need you to stay with me." He moved his hand to her neck, checking for her pulse. "Kate I still love you, I love Kate, please don't leave, hold on Kate," he whispered as he started rocking her body gently, pulling her closer to him. His eyes stung and it didn't take long before his vision was blurry from the tears. His tears was falling onto her face and he kissed the top of her head as he continued to whisper the claims of love for her. He just wanted her to make it. He just wanted her to live. He didn't want this. "I still want you Kate, I still _need_ you Kate. I can't imagine my life without you. I love you too," he cried and heard someone shuffling outside the room, someone calling out a "hello?"

" _In here_!" he called out and not a second later the paramedics came in and immediately bent him away from her in order to get to the lifeless woman in the floor. "Please Kate," he breathed as he saw the paramedics start checking her pulse and talked to each other.

"Sir, did she take anything?" one of the paramedics asked and Rick pointed to the pills, not being able to form the words.

The paramedic quickly took a look at them before they started getting her out of there. Rick was quick on his feet, following them as they continued to do their job. There was no way he would leave her side now. _No way_. As he rode in the ambulance with her, he did his best to stay out of the way. He had never been much of a prayer, but during the whole nightmare of a ride he prayed. He prayed that _please_ let her stay, he prayed for her to _please don't leave me_. He didn't want to let go of her. He knew that he would never survive it if she decided to go, he wasn't strong enough. He needed her like he needed air. His eyes never left her body. She was silent but her body was screaming to stay alive, or at least her human instincts did, he just hoped her mind did too.

At the hospital they shoved him out of the way, a nurse held him back when he tried to follow them into the halls of the ER, said he needed to stay in the waiting area. She said they would call for him the second they could, but that the best he could do was stay calm. _What do you mean stay calm?!_ he wanted to yell at her. _The love of my life is in there fighting for her life!_ he wanted to shout. But he didn't. He just nodded before sitting down in one of the chairs in the waiting area. Knowing there was absolutely _nothing_ he could do to help her, it was all in the hands of the doctors now. He had done his part.

"Yo! Castle!" a familiar voice called out and he looked up to see her partners jogging to him.

"What the hell happened man?" Ryan questioned as they got closer and stood in front of him.

Rick sighed, suddenly so tired. How did it come to this? How had he not noticed her suicidal... thoughts... right. _Because he hadn't been there._

"I... she tried to kill herself," he rasped out, the realization of the truth hitting him like a punch in the stomach, and when he looked up at the two detectives he saw their eyes as big as golf balls.

"She did what?!"

"She tried to kill herself?!"

They both exclaimed their shrieks at the same time. They seemed as shocked about it as he was. How did it come to this? How did...?

"You were with her?" Esposito asked, his detective side kicking in, pushing his personal feelings aside.

"No, no, I..." Rick's voice was destroyed, even he could hear the pain staining it.

"Castle, take a deep breath," Ryan instructed him and oh, he hadn't even noticed how his breathing had picked up in speed.

He tried doing as he was told, filling his lungs with as much air as he could before slowly blowing it out again. _God, please don't take her away_. His eyes stung again, tears silently escaping his eyes again as he recalled what had brought him to her lifeless body.

"She tried calling me, but when I didn't answer she sent a text instead," his throat was thick with the tears and the guilt. "She was saying goo..." he couldn't get himself to say it, but by the looks of his two friends he didn't need to. "Did you guys notice anything?" he asked, couldn't stop the question from coming out his mouth.

He had no intention of blaming them or anything like that, he was just wondering if there had been signs. Any at all. Ryan sat down in the chair beside him as Esposito started pacing back and forth with a thoughtful look on his face.

"No," Ryan started and Rick turned his attention to the Irish, "I mean, she did seem upset and a bit hurt since you stopped showing up... _not_ that she said anything but you know, it's always noticeable when she misses you."

"Yeah, Castle, what the hell happened? I thought you two were getting close?" Esposito asked, not accusing but just like Rick he just wanted to know what could've possibly led to his sister in arm wanting to kill herself.

Rick swallowed hard, his throat thicker than before. It was all his fault, and he knew it. Didn't matter what her text said. If he hadn't been a jerk and pulled away like he had, instead of confronting her in a peaceful matter like he should've, none of this would've happened. Who knows, maybe they even would've been together!

"Gosh I really screwed this up," he muttered with his heart breaking and putting his head in his hands as he couldn't stop the sobbing from slipping past his lips. He didn't care the two men saw him cry. No, he didn't care anymore. Only thing he cared about in that moment was her, and he was so scared of losing her.

He felt Ryan's arm coming around his shoulders in a comforting matter, and he kind of wondered why the two brothers weren't shooting him already for putting their sister in harm's way.

"What did you screw up?" the Irish detective asked, a lot gentler than the latino had managed.

Rick sighed again, god he was sighing a lot. He was so tired of himself, how could he have done this? "I heard her in interrogation when she didn't think I was there. I heard her confessing she remembered her shooting... and I just couldn't for the life of me understand why she lied to me," he told them with so much hurt and sorrow in his voice even he could hear it loud and clear. He felt their confused looks land on him.

"What do you mean lied? So what if she didn't want to remember someone trying to take her life?" Esposito asked, confusion clear and Rick pursed his lips together. They didn't know. How could they? He hadn't told them and he was damn sure _she_ hadn't either.

"When I knocked her down that day, and she was bleeding towards her... I told her I love her," he confessed the secret he'd kept for so long. A secret only his mother had known about. Well, until he found out she had too. "She said she didn't remember anything and when I found out she lied I just... I figured she lied because she didn't feel the same but didn't know how to tell me," he shrugged his shoulders, didn't know what else to do. It was all so screwed up.

"Dude, she's _crazy_ about you. How could you _not_ know that?" Esposito said with a duh-look.

"Yeah, Castle, she's always had her eyes on you. Did you not see that?" Ryan questioned but Rick only shook his head.

No, or well, maybe. But after that bomb case he had just assumed he was making it all up, wishful thinking. Imagining things that weren't there.

"Family of Katherine Beckett," a nurse suddenly called out and _shoot_ he hadn't called her father.

He stood up anyway, along with Ryan and Esposito, raising their hands to signal the nurse. She walked up to them and Rick felt his knees waver, he wasn't sure he could take the news she held on.

"You should be grateful you called when you did, a few minutes later and we wouldn't have been able to save her," the nurse begun and it felt as though a heavy stone was lifted from his shoulders. _They saved her_. "We had to pump her stomach in order to get rid of all the pills she had taken but other than that she seems fine. Tired of course and she'll need both food and water once she wakes up but for now she's asleep and we've attached an IV bag in case she stays out longer."

"Can we see her?" Esposito was first to ask and Rick was glad he did, because he couldn't find his own voice.

"She needs to rest," the nurse said and Rick felt his lip quiver at the thought of not being at her side.

"Castle won't disturb her, at least let him stay, he promise to be quiet, don't you?" Esposito gave him a stern look and Rick immediately nodded, as if his life depended on it.

"Yeah, no, not a word, promise," he stumbled across his words in his eagerness to stay.

The nurse observed him skeptically.

"If you don't let him willingly we're putting him there as protective detail," Ryan half-threatened, pointing at his badge still hanging at his hip.

The nurse clenched her teeth but nodded. "Fine, follow me."

Before he followed he turned a grateful gaze to the boys, this was the nicest thing they had ever done to him, and he would never forget it.

"Don't worry, we'll call Jim, let him know about everything and that you're here, if he's not insisting on coming here right away I'll tell him to come tomorrow," Esposito said and they shared goodbyes as Rick had to jog to follow the nurse who had already started for the room she would be in.

Outside her door the nurse gave him a warning look and told him that if he made the slightest wrong move she would have him escorted out by the security guards and not let him in again. After the threat she opened the door and he quickly slid inside as silently as he could. His eyes found her body immediately. So limp in the hospital bed. At least her chest was constantly moving up and down with each breath she was taking. _She's alive._ He moved closer, careful with each step so to not disturb her slumber, or get himself kicked out before he could even be there. To his delight there was a chair standing beside her bed, and so he sat down in it. He carefully moved his hand atop of hers, feeling the faint sparkle of electricity transferring from her skin to his. Not wanting to wake her, but still needing the smallest of touches to assure himself she was alive, he bent his fingers around hers. He laid his head on the edge of the bed, his eyes up on her pale face. It had been a close one. She wasn't quite as pale as she had been after her shooting though, and for that he was eternally grateful.

"I'm sorry Kate, I still love you. I still need you. Don't leave me again, please," he breathed into the open, the whisper as quiet as he could muster, not wanting to give the nurse a reason to throw him out, but still feeling the need to tell her in case she was listening.

He stayed like that, head on her bed, eyes on her, her hand in his, all night. There was nothing that could make him leave her side again. Ever.

* * *

Her hand tingled. It was dark but not... not as dark as she had expected it to be. A faded beeping slowly grew stronger, louder, and _what was that?_ It sounded like something, something she'd heard before, something that had been familiar at one point in her life not that long ago. _Did she fail?_ She took a deep breath, suddenly feeling the familiar pound of her heart in her strained chest. _How was it still beating?_ Her eyes stung and she felt something run down her cheeks. Tears.

"Mm, Kate, don't leave me," his voice, draped with sleep, mumbled somewhere close and that's when she realized why her hand was tingling. Why she had failed. _He came_.

Her fluttered open after a few tries and she slightly turned her head in order to take in the scene before her. He was asleep. His head resting on her bed, the hospital bed, with her hand in his grasp. He looked so worried, his features filled with agony. _God, she had hurt him again._ And he was sleep talking. She had never figured him for a sleep talker.

"I'm sorry, come back." He was only mumbling but she was easily able to hear his words. She bit her lower lip in order to keep in the whimper her tears evoked in her throat. She let her eyes wander to the roof of the room, wondering what the hell had happened. Why he was mumbling for her to stay, for her to come back. He didn't want her to leave? Then why was he pulling away? Why had _he_ left _her_? The sob coming out her mouth took her by surprise, she hadn't been ready and able to stop it. _What am I supposed to do?_ She felt her mind going crazy. Looking down at him again she saw his eyebrows had furrowed and she wondered what he was dreaming about. Wondered why he was still there. Even if she hadn't expected to survive she wouldn't have expected him there, right by her side.

"You shouldn't have come," she whispered into the empty air.

Bending her fingers out of his grasp as gently as she could he huffed, as if he could feel the change through his sleep. _He probably could_. She couldn't help herself but let her fingers wander into his hair, carefully touching his scalp like she had dreamt about so many times. It felt as though her fingers were finally doing what they had wanted for so long, for years. It didn't take long before her fingers slowly started following the lines of his beautiful face, which was all of a sudden robbed of all it's worry.

"Kate," he sighed out in relief and she stilled her fingers, wondering if he was waking up.

After a few minutes of silence, the only thing sounding being their breathing and the heart monitor connected to her chest, she dared continue her touching. _God, she didn't want to stop_. She wondered why she hadn't just showed up at his place, confronted him, instead of doing this. Her body felt heavy, still affected by the pumping she assumed they'd done to her stomach in order to save her. The mere thought made her stomach growl, suddenly realizing how hungry she was. She immediately pulled her hand back, as if she had been struck by electricity, when she felt his body jerk in his seat. His eyes fluttered open so fast she knew he had both felt and seen her hand leave his face.

"Kate," his voice was no more than a breath, his eyes glimmering with tears and _shit she was crying again._ "Thank god," he whispered as he put his forehead down in the bed to draw a breath before looking up at her again. "Don't ever scare me like that again."

His voice wasn't accusing, but she knew her lip was quivering at the realization of what she had put him through, again.

"'M sorry," she got out in a whisper, her voice raspy and sorrowed.

He shook his head and _god_ , what if he wouldn't forgive her this time?

"No, I'm sorry, I should've been there, I should've..."

She shook her head violently, it wasn't his fault. Never was. "Not your fault Castle."

He looked her in her eyes and she saw the sorrow in his blues. She had put that sorrow there, the worry, and she hated herself for it. Suddenly he looked down, took a deep breath and if she knew him correctly she'd say he was drawing courage for something. Before she knew it he was standing up and a fear of him leaving went down her spine but it wasn't there for long as he was suddenly leaning closer to her, his face going closer and without warning his lips were attending hers. It was a gentle brush of a kiss, not long enough for her to react before he pulled back again.

"I love you Kate, I still love you so much. I had no idea you would ever do something like this, if I did I would've never... please don't leave me," he whispered against her lips, his forehead resting against hers.

The beeping of her racing heart had her cheeks blush furiously, _so embarrassing_. "I won't," she choked out, the promise a lot more determined than she felt. He nodded slightly, and as her heart kept racing she tilted her head up, catching his lips with hers again. This time he didn't pull away as quick, followed her mouth with his, gentle strokes of love against her lips. She felt her head spinning as she let her tongue slip past her lips to slide across his lower lip, his lips immediately parting to let her in. _Fuck, he tasted good_. She moaned and in the du stance she could hear a door open and as sudden as he had first kissed her he was gone. Completely. Opening her eyes she saw him getting yelled at by a nurse with a finger waving in front of her with an angry expression in her face.

"...should kick you out right away! I can't believe I let you inside here! You out, now!" she raged and Kate felt her heart ache.

"No! He's staying," she said, not as fierce as she had hoped due to her weakened state. "He's not going anywhere," she got the attention of the nurse who gave her a disapproving look.

"With all due respect detective Beckett I gave him a warning he should've followed. I told him I would not hesitate to call security," the nurse said with determination.

"With all due respect," Kate imitated the nurse, gritting her teeth as she was slowly regaining her detective-strength," he's _staying,_ whether you like it or not. Or else I'll call my partners and have them stand protective detail outside my room to keep _you_ out of my room."

The nurse's jaw tensed, clearly not a fan of the brunette in her care but Kate didn't care. She wanted Castle there, and no one could get in her way now. The nurse let go of a huff of 'fine' before strutting out the door. Kate looked over at him and saw him eyeing the floor, and suddenly she wondered if maybe he didn't want to stay. Unsure she bit her inside cheek. "You know, you don't have to stay unless you want to." Her words had his head facing her within a second with wide eyes.

"Of course I wanna stay! I'm not leaving you again," he said with a surprisingly strong voice, even surprising himself if his expression was any indication of it.

He came closer to her bed again, this time sitting down, carefully, beside her hip on her bed and taking her hand between his, drawing circles over her knuckles. She felt a shiver go down her spine at his touch.

"I thought you stopped," she confessed and he looked up at her with question in his blues. "Loving me," she explained and he 'ooh'ed. "I couldn't take it anymore, the pain from the shooting, my mom's death, and you pulling away, it got too much," she only whispered, afraid to tell him her fears but knowing she couldn't stay quiet any longer. If she would it wouldn't end good. "I was trying to get better for you, was trying to heal before I could say it back. I was too damaged." She swallowed hard, her eyes on their hands, his fingers still circling soothing touches to her skin.

"You've never been too damaged Kate," he promised. "I wanted you then and I've wanted you every day since. I love you just as you are."

She bit her lower lip, "I know, but I couldn't believe I was good enough. And everyone around me dies, my mom, Montgomery... I don't want you to be next. It would be better for everyone if I just..."

"No." He said stern, determined, and she looked up to see his hard look. "It's not better. Never would be."

After staring into his eyes she saw how much it hurt him having her talk like that. Maybe she was wrong all along. Maybe he wasn't better off without her. She clearly wasn't better off without him, her insecurities and pain from earlier getting the better of her.

"Okay," she nodded and she could see the relief in his blues as she suddenly tugged his hand. "Lie with me?" it came out more as a question than as a request and he raised one of his eyebrows, silently asking what she meant.

She pulled her hand out of his, gently as to not seem like she didn't want to hold his hand, and scooted a little in the bed in order to pull up the cover beside her, offering him the side.

"You sure? If the nurse comes back she'll definitely kick me out for lying in bed with you," he said and she snorted.

"That nurse can bite me if she thinks she can take you away from me," she said in that low threatening tone she used on suspects who wouldn't budge.

He chuckled and her lips pulled up at the sound, she had missed that sound so much. She had missed _him_ so much. To her delight he gave in, raising from his seated position only to turn around and lie down beside her. The second she let the cover fall back on him she turned on her side and snuggled into him, her head on his chest. She could hear his heart beat fast, probably as scared and confused as she felt.

"I didn't know you had those dark thoughts," he whispered out in the open and she let her hand clutch his side, as if she was trying to hold on to him, trying not to fall.

"I do," she whispered.

"For how long?"

"Honestly since my mom... they were gone for a while... but they came back stronger than ever after the shooting," she was honest, she didn't have the energy to lie anymore, especially not to him, and she needed help.

Carefully his arm snaked around her body and hugged her tighter to his, gentle though, as if he was scared of hurting her.

"Have you ever..." he paused and she could hear the hard swallow before he continued, "tell someone?"

She clenched her eyes shot, wishing she had. Maybe they wouldn't have been in this position otherwise. "No, I've been going to dr Burke, a therapist, since the shooting but he doesn't know."

"Oh Kate," Rick sighed, wishing he could've done more for the person he loved on a deep level he'd never reached before. "I'm sorry I wasn't there, you know you could've told me, right? I mean, after the shooting, I would've been there if you wanted me to."

Kate felt her stomach turn at the mention of how she so coldly had rejected him. "Yeah, about that... I'm sorry I lied, I'm sorry I pushed you away," she said with an apologetic voice. "I just... I couldn't handle it," she told him, didn't want anything between them to be left unsaid anymore. "Every night I had nightmares, about the cemetery," she felt his lips in her hair, comforting her but still letting her continue if she had more to say. "The difference being you were the one shot, I really thought that by pushing you away I would keep you safe." Her every word was a whisper but she knew by the way his fingers were making circles on her back that he could hear her loud and clear. "I won't do that anymore. I want to be with you, I want to... I want to love you without hiding it. I don't what to hide from you anymore."

"Then don't," she felt him shrugging his shoulders. "I mean, of course we need to talk more, when you're out of here again, but I love you and I'll be right by your side every step of the way," his voice was determined, and she knew the answer but she had to ask because she needed to hear it.

She propped up to be able to look him in his eyes, wanting to see his reaction to her question. "Always?"

There was a sparkle in his eyes as his lips turned up in a big grin, and before she knew it his lips were gentle against hers, spreading a smile on hers when she felt all the love and reassurance he tried to transfer into her body. Pulling away he looked her straight in her eyes, telling her. "Always."

* * *

 _The End._


	35. Chapter 35 - Call it a night

_Prompt: "What even are we?" — "I'd say enemies with benefits."_  
 _Set after "we are not married"- scene in 1x05. Let's pretend it's late evening and they decide to end for the night after that scene. M- rated._

* * *

"So, next step is to check the ledger," Beckett barged out of the apartment but before she could hit the elevator Castle grabbed onto her arm.

"How about we call it a night?" he suggested and she looked at him with question in her eyes.

He only smirked and that glimpse of lust in his eyes had her abdomen fill with heat. _Fuck him_.

"The case isn't closed yet," she said with a stern voice but she knew he could see exactly what he was doing to her.

He wiggled his eyebrows as he walked past her, pushing the button for the elevator and she bit her lip as she turned to watch his back, her eyes traveling a little souther than she'd anticipated. When the elevator doors opened she was quick to train her eyes on the wall of it, not wanting him to see what she'd been looking at as he glanced back to her. She strode past him into their transport and pushed for the lobby, still keeping her eyes locked away from him she could feel his were looking up and down her body. His burning gaze had her unable to stand still. Ever since she gave into the tension between them she had a hard time resisting, especially when they made that... that... mind... melting... thing. As soon as the doors were closed she felt his hand land on the low of her back, his fingers doing slow circles making electricity going down her spine.

"Castle." Her tone was a warning, she was closing her eyes to try and control her breathing, so she didn't see when he closed the distance between them. She did _feel_ it though, his mouth suddenly brushing her left ear as his hot breath reached her skin.

"Let's call it a night, I know you want to," his voice was low and husky and _shit it was turning her on_. He sucked in the tip of her ear in his mouth and she couldn't stop the shiver going down her body at that, which only evoked a chuckle in his chest.

"Fuck you," she whispered under her breath and his hand crept down to squeeze her ass.

"I'd rather fuck you," he husked and she drew in a quick breath at the meaning he put in his tone.

"C-Castle," she stuttered, knowing the elevator would open at any second now.

Without warning he was gone. Beckett opened her eyes to see he had removed himself to the other side of the elevator with a smirk plastered on his stupid face.

"I hate you," she muttered right in time for the doors to open and walked out of the elevator. She knew the smug look he had on his face when she walked past the lobby and out the doors to get to her car.

"Soo, no ledger?" Castle teased and she gave him her look, opened her car door and narrowed her eyes.

"Shut up and get in the car."

He smirked at her when he got in and she tried her hardest not to look at him. She put the car in drive and took off into traffic, not expecting his hand to land on her thigh within seconds of them being on their way to her apartment. She let go of the wheel to slap his hand away, only he kept it right there. The warmth spreading from her lap into her bone, heat going straight to her...

"Castle! If you don't want us to crash you'll get that hand off of me."

He squeezed her thigh once before letting go. The rest of the ride she tried not to think about the way he was constantly looking at her. She was tempted to turn on the blue lights only to drive faster home but managed to refrain by repeat 'you are being stupid' in her mind. They kept apart in the elevator on their way up, both knowing a simple touch would torch them. Beckett took out her keys and tried to as casual as possible unlock her door when Castle was suddenly right behind her, his torso to her back and his lips by her ear.

"You're pretty cute when you try to resist me," he said with a low husky tone.

She gasped when she felt his bulge touch her ass. It took five more seconds before she'd gotten the door unlocked and pushed it open to be able to turn around and pull him inside. Their mouths locked almost immediately and he kicked the door shut behind them before he placed his hands behind her thighs, close to her ass, to pull her up into his arms. She wrapped her legs around him, connecting their centers as she started grinding into him, feeling how his member hardened through their pants. He carried her towards the bedroom, a pathway he'd learned to walk with his eyes closed the past week. Their tongues clashed together the second their mouth opened, _how come they always did things so synced?_ Castle carefully put her on the bed and followed to push his body onto hers. His mouth travelled from her lips, his tongue sticking out to leave a wet trail from her jaw to her neck and _god he was sucking her pulse_!

" _Shit_ , Castle!" she gasped when his hand suddenly crept into her pants, sliding a finger through her folds.

She felt his sucking grow harder on her pulse and she knew, _she knew_ , he was purposely creating a hickey she'd be forced to hide from her brothers. Oh and from Lanie. _She would kill him!_ But, it felt _so good_. Maybe she wouldn't. _Oh god_. His fingers found her clit and circled it to make her moan in a way only he had been able to. _Fuck she hated him_. She immediately missed the pleasure when he removed his hand but when he started tugging on her shirt she knew it would get so much better from there. His lips only let go of her neck in order to pull her shirt off her body, only to add them to her collarbone again once the fabric was gone. She started to unbutton his shirt but as she was pushing it away he grabbed her hands and pinned them beside her head.

"Na-ah," he said in a teasing tone and before she could argue his mouth was back on hers again. His tongue slipping into her hot cavern of a mouth when he made her gasp by thrusting his hips into hers. He was invading her mouth like he was telling her just how good he was going to fuck her. "Don't move your hands," he ordered in her ear as he let go of her. He pulled away enough to give her a stern look and _why was he so smug?!_ It took only a minute for him to pull her pants off, with her panties quickly followed, with practiced moves and _how the hell could he already have learned how to pull her pants off that quick?!_ Then his mouth was on her and she screamed out in shock and pleasure and _fuck_. He was invading her like he had been invading her mouth just seconds before and it drove her crazy how amazing he made her feel. She moved her hand into his hair, which earned a growl from him sending vibrations through her body and having her orgasm hit hard. He ate her out, lapped up her juices before he kissed his was up her belly, licking at her navel and sucking right under her breast and she was sure he was marking her with another hickey. Somehow he managed to slip his hands behind her back without her knowing until he was throwing her bra on the floor and latching onto her breast, circling his tongue around her hardened nipple.

"Fuck, Castle!" she was already feeling herself climb the mountain of pleasure again. She pulled him up to lead his lips to hers again, tasting herself on his tongue. Her hands landed on his chest and she used her legs in order to flip the over, pushing her body into his while, _finally_ , she was in control again. Or... _somewhat_ in control anyway. The way he was making her do these things she knew, in the back of her head, she was in absolute _no_ control. She was quick on his shirt, pulling it out of his arms to throw it on the floor, beside her bra. Kissing her way down his chest her hands started with the unbuckling of his belt and pants. As soon as his pants were out of the way she met his eyes to lick her lips.

"Beckett... if you..." Castle started but caught off with a groan when she opened to take him in her mouth. He was moaning as she swirled her tongue around his tip and sucked hard. " _Oh my god,_ Kate." She gave him a wicked grin as she pulled away with a pop and she started kissing up his stomach again to reach his lips again. Their tongues were a hot mess and she placed him at her entrance as his hand landed in her short hair, holding her close to him. She pushed down, letting him go deep inside her before she created a rhythm she already knew would bring him as close as she was. _Why did she know what did it for him?_ She was definitely enjoying this way more than she should. Without warning he flipped them back around, thrusting into her and _gosh he was hitting her g-spot just right_. Their kisses got sloppy, tongues twisting and lips twining. His thrusts got sloppier as she tightened around him and before they knew it they were both coming hard, a white bliss surrounding them. Their lips parted with heavy breaths mixing while their foreheads kept in touch. The bedroom was quiet, except for their breathing, about five minutes before he decided to fill the silence.

"Beckett?" he panted and she hummed for him to continue. "What even are we?"

Beckett tried to get a control of her breathing while her brain tried to process his question and what to answer. _How do you even answer that?_ And _what were_ they doing? After a few minutes of thinking she decided to go with, "I'd say enemies with benefits."

She felt him pull out of her and _why did that stroke feel so good?_ The small moan escaping her mouth was a surprise to both of them, her cheeks were going hot and she tried her best to pull on her pokerface.

"Oh," he let go and she bit her lip at the small disappointment she managed to see before he turned his face to the ceiling, laying down on his back beside her. She didn't want to hurt him, she really didn't, but... she couldn't.

"Look Castle," she took a deep breath and she felt his eyes on her as she turned her own to the ceiling. "I'm not ready for anything real, not good enough, and I'm sorry I came crashing your book reading in that damn dress. I didn't mean for this to go so far."

"What du you mean 'not good enough'?" he asked and she dared only a glance at him, seeing the confusion in his eyes. "And for the record, I'm not _at all_ sorry you came crashing my work in that _hot,_ pink dress." Somehow that drew a small chuckle from her lips and she wondered how it was so easy for him to amuse her.

It only took a second before she got serious again, the sated feeling was amazing but somehow she felt the need to give him the story now, _her_ story. "By the way, it was my mother, not my father. We were supposed to go to dinner together, my mom, my dad and I, and she was gonna meet us at the restaurant. But she never showed. Two hours later, we went home, and there was a detective waiting for us. Detective Raglin. They found her body. She had been stabbed." She had to pause to draw in a breath, trying her best not to let the tears escape down her cheeks.

"A robbery?" he asked careful when she failed to continue.

"No," she answered. "She still had her money and purse and jewelry. And it wasn't a sexual assault, either." She bit her lip, turned onto her side in order to lay towards him. "They attributed it to gang violence. Random wayward event." His hand was in between them, and so to have something to do she let her fingers slide into his, fiddling with them while continuing her story. "So, just like in Melanie's case, they couldn't think outside the box. So they just tried to package it up nicely. And the killer was never caught."

She could sense he had more questions, so she glanced at him with a go-ahead nod. "Why do you wear the watch?"

 _Ah_ , _that's right._ He'd noticed the watch. "My dad took her death hard. He's sober now. Five years. So, the watch is for the life that I saved." She gave him a weak smile, which he immediately returned. "And the ring I wear around my neck, the one you so carefully took off that first night when I almost shot you for touching it, is for the life that I lost."

She felt a tear go down her cheek and she had to clench her eyes shut in order to not let the rest follow. The hand she had not stolen came to her cheek, gently wiping it away and she couldn't stop from turning her face and kiss his palm. She was literally laying naked and fully vulnerable in front of him, and she had never felt safer. It was weird, the way he made her feel. Both physically and emotionally.

"I'm sorry Kate," he mumbled, probably afraid of saying the wrong thing and _how had she ever thought he was a jackass?_ She had seen this side of him quite a lot now, especially after their intense and intimate actions, when all he wanted to do was cuddle with her. And she'd seen it at times when he was talking about his daughter as well, _oh_ and a couple other times also. The asshole persona seemed to only be a character he played in public, and she wondered why that was. And cuddling had never been her thing, especially not when the relationship was purely sexual, but with him she couldn't seem to get enough. "And I understand if you're not ready, I do, but... I can wait, I can take it slow. I want you Kate, and not just like this or for research for Nikki, but I want to take you out, woo you and more. But I'm not going to force anything on you, I can take it slow. I'm a very patient person when I want to be," his voice was filled with promise, and even though those kind of words often had her running in fear she didn't feel at all frightened by him.

She was silent, and so was he. Probably waiting for her response, a response she was trying to figure out. She searched in his blues for anything that indicated something other than what he was saying. She found none. So, silently she nodded, agreeing to giving it a shot. Maybe not right away, but she did want it eventually. "Okay, slow," she whispered and she saw a glimpse of something pure sparkle in his eyes. He leaned forward and kissed her lips in a way that was a lot more softer and emotional than any of the ones they had shared in the past week, and for once in a long time that type of kiss didn't scare her. Their bodies drew closer and soon she had her head on his chest, his arms tight around her.

"Until tomorrow, detective," he said and hadn't she been so satisfied and tired she would've rolled her eyes.

"You can't just say 'night'?" she questioned quietly.

"I'm a writer. 'Night' is boring. 'Until tomorrow' is more hopeful," he explained and she chuckled.

"Yeah, well, I'm a cop. Night," she snuggled in closer. Already halfway into a slumber as she heard his response in her hair.

"Night."

* * *

 _The End._


End file.
